Delhi High Court grants interim bail to Umar Khalid to visit ailing mother

The Delhi High Court on Friday granted an interim bail to student activist Umar Khalid to visit his ailing mother, who is undergoing surgery.

Khalid is currently lodged in jail over the 2020 Delhi Riot larger conspiracy case and has been granted bail for three days from June 1 to 3. During this period, he will also attend the Chehlum ceremony of his uncle, who passed away last month.

A bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Madhu Jain noted that the Supreme Court rejected Khalid's regular bail plea on January 5 but granted him the reprieve by taking an "empathetic view."

"Taking an empathetic view, this court is inclined to grant him interim bail for three days from June 1 to June 3 to enable the appellant to spend time with his mother," the court concluded.

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The court was hearing Khalid's appeal against the trial court's May 19 order that dismissed his interim bail plea.

Meanwhile, ASG S V Raju, appearing for Delhi Police, urged the court to allow Khalid to visit his mother with a police escort.

What did the trial court say?

Khalid's counsel had requested the trial court to grant him 15 days' interim bail to attend a 40-day post-death ritual of his uncle and take care of his mother.

However, the court denied him bail, saying that attending the ceremony of his deceased uncle was "not that necessary" and that other family members were available to take care of his mother.

Khalid was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for being one of the "masterminds" of the February 2020 riots that had left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.

The violence had erupted during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

With inputs from agencies