The Delhi court gave Umar Khalid a 7-day interim bail so he could attend his sister’s wedding.
Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat granted interim bail to Khalid.
On Monday, Umar Khalid was granted 7-day interim bail in the February 2020 Delhi Riots case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act [Umar Khalid v. State].
The ruling was stayed by Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat on December 7, allowing Khalid to attend the wedding of his sister.
The judge ordered that he be released from prison on December 23, after which he would turn himself in on December 30.
Khalid, who was detained on September 13, 2020, has been incarcerated for over two years. He had requested 14 days off to attend his sister’s wedding.
A full order detailing the interim bail wordings is awaited.
Last time, Senior Counsel Trideep Pais claimed that Khalid was eager to comply with any terms imposed by the court, including needing to disclose his residence. He mentioned decisions in which interim bail was granted under particular circumstances in UAPA instances.
Pais had also proposed that Khalid be required to refrain from making media interviews, as the Supreme Court had stipulated for Siddique Kappan when granted him interim bail.
“Siddique Kappan granted interim bail by Supreme Court. A condition was put. Please see the condition put – that condition may be put on me. During his visit- he shall not give any media interviews. Not media public persons… Agreed I won’t. Only family and relatives,” he had said.
Pais had reinforced Khalid’s promise not to provide interviews because of concern that he would likely distribute false information and incite unrest through public speech.
Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad argued that the rulings mentioned by Khalid were not relevant to the situation at hand. He said,
“Here we are in a situation that his bail has been rejected. So far as Siddique Kappan is concerned, it was by Supreme Court… if it is passed by this court, then they will say freedom of expression will be agitated. Tomorrow everybody will say…”
Written By:- Lakshman Singh, B.B.A LL.B (Hons.), Shri Ramswaroop Memorial University, Lucknow