Order in Umar Khalid's Bail Plea Deferred for the Third Time to Thursday

The judge said the order was under correction and listed it for 12 pm on Thursday.

File image of former Jawaharlal Nehru University student and activist Umar Khalid.

(Photo: The Quint)

A Delhi court on Wednesday, 23 March, deferred the order in Umar Khalid's bail plea for the third time, stating that it was under correction. This is in connection with the Delhi riots 'larger conspiracy' case.

Now, Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat is slated to pronounce the order at 12 pm on Thursday.

Khalid, an activist and a former Jawaharlal Nehru University student, was arrested on 14 September 2020 in connection with the case. He has been charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) as well as other Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The order on his bail plea was previously deferred on 14 and 21 March.

BACKGROUND

Communal clashes had taken over northeast Delhi as protests intensified against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in the national capital in February 2020.

Eighteen people have been named accused in this case, but only six have received bail so far. Of the six who have got bail, only Ishrat Jahan has been granted the same by a sessions court. Five others – Faizan Khan, Safoora Zargar, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Natasha Narwal, and Devangana Kalita – had to go up to the Delhi High Court before they were granted any relief.

Khalid's counsel had opposed the UAPA charges in the court and had reportedly said that his speech in Amravati was about Gandhi, harmony, and the Constitution, which was not a crime.

Opposing the bail plea, Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Amit Prasad argued that the permission for the Amravati programme was rejected on 11 February 2020 by the Maharashtra Police as then US President Donald Trump was visiting India on the same day.