Delhi riots 2020: No order on Umar Khalid's bail plea, Court defers hearing to March 21
New Delhi, March 14: A Delhi Court on Monday deferred the pronouncement of order on the bail plea of former JNU student leader Umar Khalid for March 21.
The ex- JNU student leader is an accused in the northeast Delhi violence conspiracy case and was arrested on 13 September 2020 under Sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
The case was deferred by Additional sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat as the defence had not filed their written submissions in the matter.
SPP Amit Prasad had rebutted that in the conspiracy case, the wholesome conduct of the accused (Umar Khalid) has to be seen. He also asserted that there are multiple chats and other evidence is there and submitted that there is adequate material on record against the accused.
On the specific question posed by the court on Umar Khalid's speech at Amaravati, he stated that the Maharashtra police denied permission for the event on February 11, 2020. On the 12th of February, another application was filed by a Welfare Party of India office-bearer, this time listing six dignitaries except for Umar Khalid.
The accused's father serves as the party's national president. Only six people were allowed permission, but Umar Khalid got there and gave a speech on February 17th. According to the SPP, an FIR was filed for disobeying the order.
The accused's counsel, Senior Advocate Tridip Pais, rebutted the order and the FIR, claiming that they were illegal because the right to free speech cannot be restricted. The Maharashtra Police Act contains no such restrictions.
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Umar Khalid was mentioned as an accused in the FIR filed in the Amaravati case, he claimed. After the speech, nothing occurred. Because he gave a speech there, the prosecution cannot call it an act of terror. The prosecution is making a mockery out of the UAPA prosecution.
He further claimed that Khalid's remark "Bharat tere tukde honge" was not mentioned in the charge sheet filed in the JNU case in 2016. However, the prosecution has attributed this comment to him this time.
This case is related to the broader conspiracy of northeast Delhi riots, which led to the deaths of 53 people and the injured hundreds more.
Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima, and others were named in a bigger conspiracy case filed by Delhi police.
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-PTC News
