Delhi court rejects JNU student leader Umar Khalid's bail plea in riots case

A Delhi court rejected the bail application of former JNU student leader Umar Khalid on Tuesday. The matter stems from the larger conspiracy case, which is linked to the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots. He has been in jail since Septemeber 202O under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). 

Umar Khalid requested bail on the grounds of delay in the case. He also sought relief on the grounds of parity with other accused in the case. Earlier on May 13, a special court had reserved the order regarding his bail application. Delhi police's public prosecutor opposed his bail plea.

Media trail against Umar Khalid

Meanwhile, Khalid's counsel stated that no terror allegations were alleged against him in the Delhi police's chargesheet and his name was repeated in the document. He also said that if his name is being repeated in the chargesheet, it doesn't mean to be a truth. It's a lie. He also claimed that a vicious media trial is going on against Umar Khalid.  

What are the accusations against Umar Khalid?

In a chargesheet, Delhi police have alleged Umar Khalid of planning protests in Northwest Delhi in 2020 at 23 places, which led to fatal riots across the region. He has been charged with criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, rioting, and several other offenses under the UAPA.

Notably, Umar Khalid moved to Delhi's Karkardooma court after withdrawing his plea from the Supreme Court earlier this year. Then, his lawyer, Kapil Sibal cited the reason as a 'change in circumstances.' The top court bench of Justice Bela Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal rejected Khalid's plea as withdrawn.