Delhi riots case: Umar Khalid gets three-day interim bail to visit ailing mother

NEW DELHI: Former JNU student leader Umar Khalid has been granted interim bail in the UAPA case related to the Delhi riots. The Delhi High Court granted him three days of interim bail to visit his mother, who is scheduled to undergo a surgery next month. He will also be allowed to attend the post-funeral rituals of his uncle, who passed away last month.

A trial court had earlier rejected Khalid's bail plea. The High Court has now granted him bail from June 1 to June 3 with strict conditions. He has been directed to remain at home and can visit only the hospital where his mother is admitted. Apart from these two locations, he is not allowed to go anywhere else. He must remain within the national capital during the bail period. Khalid has also been asked to furnish a bond of Rs 1 lakh and use only one mobile phone number during the interim bail period.

The case against Khalid alleges that he was part of a conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots that broke out during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The violence erupted in northeast Delhi on February 24, 2020, and continued for several days. More than 50 people were killed and over 700 were injured in the riots.

Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain are among the 20 accused named in the alleged larger conspiracy behind the violence.