BREAKING: Umar Khalid Granted Interim Bail by Delhi Court

New Delhi(The Uttam Hindu): A Delhi court on Wednesday granted former JNU student Umar Khalid seven days of interim bail to attend a family wedding. The interim bail was approved by Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai. Khalid will be on interim bail from December 28 to January 3. Khalid had sought interim bail in the conspiracy case related to the February 2020 northeast Delhi riots.

The court delivered this verdict when it was hearing the second regular bail application moved by Khalid under Section 437 of the Code of Criminal Procedure along with Section 43D(5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, popularly known as UAPA. He has been under judicial custody since September 2020 and is accused of being an accused in a larger conspiracy behind the communal riots.

The Delhi High Court is currently hearing the regular bail application of Khalid and activist Sharjeel Imam's bail plea. Both are accused in the UAPA case concerning the 2020 riots. Khalid was arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell in September 2020 for his alleged role in the unrest.

Earlier, on May 2024, the trial court had rejected Khalid's bail application by holding that the High Court findings prima facie made the allegations against him true and that Section 43D(5) of UAPA applied. The court also mentioned that the High Court had dismissed Khalid's appeal on October 2022 and that his petition to the Supreme Court was withdrawn, thus making the previous orders final. Khalid's interim bail allows him to attend the wedding, though his long-term bail applications remain under judicial review.