Umar Khalid moves Delhi HC for bail in 2020 riots conspiracy case
New Delhi: Student activist Umar Khalid has approached the Delhi High Court seeking bail in a case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
According to Kashmir Media Service, his appeal, challenging the trial court’s July 4 order rejecting his bail plea, is listed for hearing today before a bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Vikas Mahajan.
Umar Khalid was arrested under India’s terrorism laws and accused by Delhi Police of being a “key conspirator” in the February 2020 Delhi riots and conspiring to bring “violent regime change”. He calls the charges “dystopian” and denies them, stating he was 1,600 km away when violence broke out. Of 53 killed, most were Muslim.
Rising to prominence after a 2016 sedition case at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Khalid became a central voice in 2019 protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). While co-accused got bail, his applications have been repeatedly delayed or denied, with no trial date set.
