Delhi High Court grants 3-day interim bail to Umar Khalid in 2020 Delhi riots larger conspiracy case

The Delhi High Court also noted that Khalid had previously been granted interim bail for family ceremonies and complied with all conditions. 

Activist and former JNU student leader Umar Khalid has got a temporary relief from Delhi High Court after he was granted three-day interim bail in the 2020 Delhi riots larger conspiracy case. The Delhi High Court allowed interim bail taking an “empathetic view” due to his mother’s surgery. The court granted bail from 7 AM on June 1 till 5 PM on June 3 on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh. Khalid has been directed to remain within NCR, stay at home and visit only the hospital.

The Court also noted that Khalid had previously been granted interim bail for family ceremonies and complied with all conditions. While observing that he is 'one of the key conspirators' in the case, the Court granted limited interim relief considering his mother’s medical condition.

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Khalid's Plea in Delhi High Court

Earlier, Umar Khalid had moved the Delhi High Court seeking interim bail for 15 days from May 22 to June 5 and setting aside the trial court order dated May 19, which rejected his plea for temporary release in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots larger conspiracy case. The appeal, filed under Section 21(4) of the National Investigation Agency Act, stated that Khalid seeks interim bail to attend the Chehlum ceremony of his deceased maternal uncle and to take care of his 62-year-old mother, who is scheduled to undergo lump excision surgery on June 2. In the appeal, Khalid had challenged the findings of the trial court, which had observed that his uncle was not an "immediate relation" and that his mother could be cared for by other family members. The plea argued that these findings are "incorrect and unsubstantiated" and contrary to the material on record.

According to the plea, Khalid's father is 71 years old and unable to single-handedly care for his wife, while four of Khalid's five sisters are married and reside away from the parental home. The appeal stressed that Khalid is the eldest child and the only son in the family and therefore seeks to assist his mother before and after the surgery.

Prosecution Opposed Bail

The prosecution had opposed the plea through Special Public Prosecutor Anirudh Mishra, arguing that Khalid was attempting to misuse the leniency earlier shown by the court and that the surgery was a minor procedure requiring only local anaesthesia. The State had also argued that other family members could perform the religious rituals and care for Khalid's mother.

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Khalid has been in custody since September 2020 in the larger conspiracy case arising out of FIR 59/2020. The prosecution alleges that the 2020 northeast Delhi riots were part of a pre-planned conspiracy linked to protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), allegations which Khalid has denied. (With ANI inputs)