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The Delhi High Court on Friday granted three-day interim bail to Activist and former JNU student leader Umar Khalid in the larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, taking an "empathetic view" in light of his mother's surgery.
The Court granted interim bail from 7 am on June 1 till 5 pm on June 3 on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh. The Court directed that Khalid shall remain within the NCR region, stay at his residence and visit only the hospital during the period of interim release. Khalid had approached the High Court challenging the May 19 order of the trial court, which had rejected his plea for interim bail. While granting relief, the High Court noted that Khalid had previously been granted interim bail on multiple occasions for family ceremonies and had complied with the conditions imposed upon him. The Court also observed that Khalid is "one of the key conspirators" in the case, but nevertheless considered it appropriate to take an empathetic view owing to the medical condition and scheduled surgery of his mother. Earlier, 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, states 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. The trial court had earlier dismissed Khalid's interim bail plea on May 19, observing that the grounds cited by him for temporary release were "not reasonable". Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma Courts had held that attending the Chehlum ceremony of his uncle was "not that necessary" and also observed that Khalid's sisters and father could take care of his mother during the surgery. Khalid has been in custody since September 2020 in the larger conspiracy case arising out of FIR 59/2020. The prosecution alleges that the riots were part of a pre-planned conspiracy linked to protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), allegations which Khalid has denied. (ANI)
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