New Delhi: The Karkardooma court in Delhi on Tuesday dismissed former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader Umar Khalid’s bail plea in connection with a conspiracy in the Delhi riots of 2020. The poet has been imprisoned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) since September 2020.
Khalid also prayed for release on bail in two jurisdictions: delay in this case and parity with other co-accused persons. On May 13, special Judge Sameer Bajpai had agreed to pass an order on his bail application only. The Special Public Prosecutor for the Delhi police opposed the bail application in a similar beginning, calling it frivolous and baseless.
About the charges of terrorism, Khalid’s counsel stated that no allegations of any kind were leveled on him in the police charge sheet, the name of the accused being merely repeated without any proof. His lawyer argued that the presence of vindictive and unadulterated names does not amount to the provision of evidence and alleged that Khalid was put through a vicious media trial.
The Delhi police alleged that Khalid had planned and mobilized protests at 23 places in Delhi in 2020 that transformed into riots. After realizing that his case could not be handled by the Supreme Court, Khalid withdrew his bail petition and began a new one in the local court. His lawyer further flexed his muscles and asked whether sharing of messages can be tantamount to a criminal, not to mention a terror act.
According to the SPP, Khalid has been building up his narrative to gain support through conspiracy by sharing specific links. Khalid’s lawyer quickly intervened, pointing out that he only presented the “right side of the story.” In the past, Khalid’s lawyer pointed to the peculiarities that other activists, including Natasha Narwal, Devangana Kalita, and Asif Iqbal Tanha, who faced similar charges, were released by the Delhi High Court on bail.
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