Delhi court rejects Umar Khalid's second bail application
The Karkardooma court in Delhi on Tuesday rejected the second bail application of former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader, Umar Khalid. Khalid, who is accused in a conspiracy case related to the 2020 Delhi riots under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), has been in jail since September 2020. His request for bail was based on grounds of delay and parity with other accused individuals.
Khalid's counsel refutes terror allegations
Senior Advocate Tridip Pais, who is representing Khalid, argued that the Delhi police's charge sheet did not contain any terror allegations against his client. He stated that repeating his client's name in the document did not make the allegations true. In response to the Special Public Prosecutor's (SPP) allegations that Khalid was part of a conspiracy, Pais questioned whether sharing messages could be considered a criminal or terror act.
Khalid's counsel on 'media trial'
Pais further claimed that Khalid was being subjected to a "vicious media trial" and pointed out contradictions in the statements of prosecution witnesses. He noted that other accused individuals with similar roles, namely Natasha Narwal, Devangana Kalita, and Asif Iqbal Tanha, had been granted bail by the high court. The SPP dismissed Pais's claim of a media trial and accused Khalid of manipulating media narratives.
Khalid's previous bail plea withdrawn from Supreme Court
Khalid had previously withdrawn his plea from the Supreme Court in February 2024 due to a change in circumstances and moved to the trial court seeking bail. His plea before the Supreme Court had been adjourned 14 times before withdrawal. The detailed order on his latest bail application rejection by the Karkardooma court is still awaited.
