Umar Khalid granted interim bail in UAPA case after 1,556 days in jail

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Wednesday granted interim bail to former JNU scholar Umar Khalid in the UAPA case, 1,556 days after his arrest on September 14, 2020, over his alleged involvement in a larger conspiracy related to the 2020 North-East Delhi riots. Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai of Karkardooma Courts approved Khalid's interim bail for seven days to allow him to attend a family wedding.

The conditions for interim bail are that Khalid must not contact any witnesses or individuals connected to the case. The court has also directed Khalid not to use social media during the bail period, Live Law reported.

Other conditions include that he may only meet his family members, relatives, and friends and must remain at his home or the venues where the wedding ceremonies are held. Khalid must surrender to the concerned Jail Superintendent by the evening of January 3, 2025.

Khalid's bail request was denied by the Delhi High Court in October 2022. He then approached the Supreme Court but later withdrew his Special Leave Petition (SLP). His second regular bail plea was filed in the trial court but rejected earlier this year.

Khalid's appeal against the rejection of his second regular bail plea is currently pending before the Delhi High Court.

The accused in the case include Tahir Hussain, Umar Khalid, Khalid Saifi, Isharat Jahan, Meeran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima, Shifa-Ur-Rehman, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Shadab Ahmed, Tasleem Ahmed, Saleem Malik, Mohd. Saleem Khan, Athar Khan, Safoora Zargar, Sharjeel Imam, Faizan Khan, and Natasha Narwal.