Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai has slated the case for March, awaiting the prosecution’s response to the submission. Umar Khalid, a former student at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and activist, has been detained since September 2020 on suspicion of involvement in the Delhi riots conspiracy case. He has now filed a petition for regular bail at the Karkardooma court in Delhi [State vs Tahir Hussain and Ors].
During the Supplementary Sessions on Wednesday, Judge Sameer Bajpai oversaw the plea and deferred the case to March 11 pending the prosecution’s response.
Khalid filed the bail application under Section 437 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) along with Section 43D (5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) after the Supreme Court withdrew his bail petition on February 14, citing a change in circumstances.
A division of the Supreme Court comprising Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal was scheduled to hear the case on February 14. However, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Khalid, informed the court before the hearing date that they were withdrawing the bail petition.
“We wish to withdraw due to a change of circumstances and seek appropriate relief from the trial court,” Sibal had stated previously.
Khalid was arrested in September 2020 and charged under the UAPA with multiple offenses including criminal conspiracy, rioting, and unlawful assembly. He has remained in custody since then.
In March 2022, Khalid’s bail was denied by a Karkardooma magistrate. He subsequently approached the High Court, which also denied him relief in October 2022, prompting him to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court sought a response from the Delhi Police in May 2023. Since then, his petition before the apex court has been adjourned fourteen times.
