High Court seeks police stand on Khalid's bail plea in Delhi riots case, says speech not acceptable

New Delhi, April 22

The Delhi High Court on Friday said the speech given by Umar Khalid, which forms the basis of a case against him for a larger conspiracy behind the Delhi riots of February 2020, was obnoxious and prima facie not acceptable, and sought the Delhi Police’s response on his plea seeking bail in the case.

A bench headed by Justice Siddharth Mridul said that certain statements in the speech were “offensive per se” and gave an impression that only one institution fought for the independence of the country.

The court granted three days to the Delhi Police, represented by special public prosecutor Amit Prasad, to file its short reply to the bail application filed in the case under the stringent UAPA and listed the case for further hearing on April 27.

Khalid and several others have been booked under the anti-terror law in the case for being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 riots, which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

The violence had erupted during the protests against the CAA and the National Register of Citizens.