Umar Khalid framed by the press, says lawyer

Umar Khalid's lawyer Senior advocate Trideep Pais informed a Delhi Court that the ex-JNU student was being framed by the press in the northeast Delhi riots case, reports The Indian Express. The press played an edited video of his speech tweeted by BJP leader Amit Malviya, he elaborated. Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat adjourned the case for September 3.

Though the police registered 715 FIRs, Umar was not named in a single one, Pais added. The UAPA FIR is "unnecessary and has been drafted and filed in order to target people selectively based on the opposition to CAA". Though a cognisable offence was disclosed in each rioting FIR, no such thing has been mentioned in the present FIR. Instead, it was framed in a broad manner in which one could give statements to frame people. Furthermore, the witnesses made contradictory statements to the police and the magistrate. Laughable statements have been made in the 'hollow' FIR, he alleged.

"The purpose of this FIR is not to bring home guilt, it's hypocrisy. None of the people in this FIR should be held in custody," Pais told the court.

When the court inquired if the video was broadcast without verification, Pais replied in the affirmative and read out a reply by Republic TV to the notice demanding footage of Umar's speech, "The footage was not recorded by our cameraperson. It was tweeted by Mr Amit Malviya." He added that it is the death of journalism being witnessed. Pais continued to play the full video of the speech before the court and argued that one sentence of the speech was taken out of context by News18.

"A message of unity based on Gandhiji was given that day and that was termed as a terror," Pais told the court. Furthermore, Umar's speech was not seditious and the event was even attended by retired IPS officers. "He is talking about democratic power. He refers to Mahatma Gandhi. He does not call for violence or violent methods. He speaks to you about the fear people went through about the violence in Jamia's library," Pais told the court. He added that while the prosecution has hatched the 'fantastic theory' that the conspiracy was hatched when Trump visited the county on January 8, the news about Trump's visit was announced on February 11.