Delhi, 24 January: The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing on the bail plea of former JNU student Umar Khalid in a case lodged under anti-terror law UAPA until January 31.
The bench, consisting of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Ujjal Bhuyan, deferred the matter as they were only available until lunch. Khalid’s lawyer, senior advocate C U Singh, expressed his readiness to argue before the bench but unfortunately they had to adjourn due to time constraints. The matter was listed along with other petitions challenging various provisions of the UAPA.
Earlier, Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra had recused himself from hearing Khalid’s plea. Khalid’s bail petition was rejected by the Delhi High Court on October 18, 2022, on the grounds that he was in touch with other co-accused and the allegations against him were prima facie true.
The high court also stated that his actions qualified as a “terrorist act” under the UAPA. Khalid and several others have been booked under the UAPA and IPC for their alleged involvement in the February 2020 riots during protests against the CAA and NRC.
Khalid, who was arrested by Delhi Police in September 2020, had sought bail stating that he had no criminal role or conspiratorial connection with any other accused in the case. However, Delhi Police opposed his bail plea, stating that his speech was “very calculated” and played a role in inciting violence.
