A Delhi court, on Thursday, March 24, dismissed the bail application of former JNU student-activist Umar Khalid in a case related to the alleged "larger conspiracy" behind the 2020 Delhi riots. Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat had deferred the pronouncement of its verdict for the third time on March 23 stating that it was 'under correction'.
The order, which was to be originally pronounced on March 14, had been listed for March 21. But the court deferred it following the filing of written notes by the prosecution and posted it for March 23 On March 3, a Bench had reserved its order after hearing the submissions of parties in the matter.
Opposing the bail plea, Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Amit Prasad argued on the relevance of the speech given by Umar Khalid in Amravati in February 2020. He said the bail application was rejected on February 11, pointing out that the announcement of Donald Trump visiting India came on the same day, as per a report in ANI.
During the course of the hearing, Khalid's counsel, opposing the charges under the Indian Penal Code and UAPA, termed the charge sheet as a "work of fiction". He argued that the speech given by Khalid was about Gandhi, harmony and the Constitution, and it was not a crime. After the submissions, the court had reserved the order.
Khalid has been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Delhi riots broke out in Northeast Delhi in February 2020 after a pro-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) mob took to the streets and clashed with anti-CAA protestors. The mayhem, which coincided with the then US President Donald Trump's maiden trip to India, saw over 50 people lose their lives and over 700 injured.
