Umar Khalid, former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader and activist, has been granted a seven-day interim bail by Delhi court to attend his cousin’s wedding. Khalid, who has been in custody since September 2020 under the draconian provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), will be allowed to leave jail from December 28, 2024, to January 3, 2025, with stringent conditions imposed by the court. The grant of bail has reignited debate over the judicial handling of high-profile cases linked to the 2020 North-East Delhi riots, which were a deadly eruption of violence amidst protests against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma Courts approved Khalid’s temporary release with a set of strict conditions aimed at preventing any interference with the ongoing investigation. The court explicitly ordered that Khalid must:
“The applicant shall not contact any witnesses or any person in connection with the case. The applicant is also directed not to use social media during the interim bail period. He shall remain at his home or at the places where the ceremonies of the marriage will take place.”
Additional directives include:
- Khalid must restrict his interactions to family members, relatives, and friends attending the wedding.
- He is to surrender to the concerned Jail Superintendent on the evening of January 3, 2025.
Refrain from contacting any witnesses or individuals connected to the case.
- Not use social media for any purpose.
- Restrict interactions to family members, relatives, and close friends only.
- Remain confined to his residence or the venues of the wedding ceremonies.
The interim bail comes after multiple failed attempts by Khalid to secure regular bail over the last four years. In October 2022, the Delhi High Court rejected his bail application, prompting Khalid to approach the Supreme Court, where he later withdrew his Special Leave Petition (SLP). A subsequent regular bail plea filed in the trial court was also rejected earlier this year. Khalid’s appeal challenging the rejection of this bail is currently pending before the Delhi High Court.
Khalid faces allegations of involvement in a larger conspiracy to incite communal violence during the 2020 North-East Delhi riots. The violence, which erupted amidst nationwide protests against the CAA and National Register of Citizens (NRC), resulted in 53 deaths and over 700 injuries, leaving a deep scar on Delhi’s social fabric. The prosecution alleges that Khalid played a key role in orchestrating the unrest under the guise of peaceful protests.
FIR Number (59/2020), under which Khalid is booked, was registered by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell and encompasses a wide array of serious charges under the Indian Penal Code and the UAPA. Other accused in the case include prominent figures such as Sharjeel Imam, Safoora Zargar, Tahir Hussain, and Khalid Saifi, among others. The inclusion of UAPA charges, often criticized as harsh and punitive, reflects the state’s intent to treat the case with utmost severity.
In granting the interim bail, the court acknowledged Khalid’s personal reason—attending a family wedding—but balanced this with cautionary measures. The court’s directive that Khalid “shall not contact any witness and any person in connection with the case” and must abstain from social media is a clear signal of the judiciary’s concern about potential interference or influence.
In December 2022, he was granted similar bail to attend his sister’s wedding from December 23 to December 30, after which he duly surrendered as ordered.
