Umar Khalid Bail: Former JNU Student Leader Umar Khalid Allowed Interim Bail to Attend Cousin’s Wedding

Umar Khalid Bail: Former JNU student leader Umar Khalid, who has been in judicial custody since September 2020, was granted interim bail by a Delhi court on Wednesday. The Karkardooma Court approved a seven-day bail period for Khalid, allowing him to attend his cousin’s wedding. The interim bail will come into effect from December 28 to January 3. Khalid is currently lodged in jail as an accused in a bigger conspiracy case related to the 2020 North East Delhi violence. He has been denied regular bail multiple times.

Khalid’s bail plea is still pending before the Delhi High Court, where a bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur is considering the case. The Delhi High Court has issued notices on his bail petition and requested the Delhi Police to submit a response. In a significant development earlier this year, Justice Amit Sharma recused himself from hearing Khalid’s bail plea, leading to the case being transferred to another bench under the leadership of Justice Prathiba M. Singh.

Khalid has been behind bars for more than three years since his arrest by Delhi Police in the aftermath of the 2020 riots, which had widespread violence in North East Delhi. He is being charged under the stringent anti-terror law, UAPA, besides various sections of the IPC. Despite the bail denial multiple times, Khalid’s lawyers continued to argue in court that the charges were being unduly delayed, and they should be treated at par with other co-accused who have been granted bail.

Earlier this year, Khalid withdrew his special leave petition from the Supreme Court, saying there had been a “change in circumstances” and seeking permission to file a fresh bail application in the trial court. His case has been the subject of intense political and legal attention, with his supporters arguing that the charges against him are politically motivated.

This is, of course, an interim bail, which will keep the student leader free for some time, at least until charges are framed. The case still involves a probe into the 2020 riots that the Delhi Police has been filing multiple charge sheets over, and it’s unlikely to be out of the limelight anytime soon in the coming months.