A Delhi court on Thursday granted interim bail to former JNU scholar and activist Umar Khalid in the UAPA case linked to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 North East Delhi riots.
He sought bail to attend his sister’s wedding.
Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai at Karkardooma Courts allowed the request and granted bail from December 16 to December 29.
Khalid must furnish a personal bond of Rs 20,000 along with two sureties of the same amount. The court directed him not to contact any witness or any person connected to the case. He must provide his mobile number to the investigating officer and keep it active throughout the bail period. The court also said he cannot use social media during this time. He may only meet family members, relatives, and friends and must remain at home or at the venues of the marriage ceremonies he listed.
Khalid must surrender on the evening of December 29 before the Superintendent of the concerned jail.
This is not the first time he has received temporary relief.
He was granted interim bail for a week in 2022 to attend his sister’s wedding and again for seven days last year to attend another family ceremony.
His earlier attempts to secure regular bail have been rejected. The Delhi High Court denied him bail in October 2022. He later withdrew his plea from the Supreme Court. His second regular bail plea was rejected by the trial court, and the High Court upheld that decision in September, noting that his role in the alleged conspiracy appeared grave.
Khalid has challenged this finding before the Supreme Court.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court reserved its verdict on the bail pleas filed by Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima, and other accused in the Delhi riots conspiracy case.
The case, FIR 59 of 2020, was registered by the Delhi Police Special Cell under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. The accused in the case include Tahir Hussain, Umar Khalid, Khalid Saifi, Isharat Jahan, Meeran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima, Shifa Ur Rehman, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Shadab Ahmed, Tasleem Ahmed, Saleem Malik, Mohd Saleem Khan, Athar Khan, Safoora Zargar, Sharjeel Imam, Faizan Khan, and Natasha Narwal.