NEW DELHI: A court on Thursday granted 15 days’ interim bail to northeast Delhi riots conspiracy accused Umar Khalid, allowing him to attend his sister’s wedding later this month. Additional sessions judge Sameer Bajpai noted that Khalid had already spent five years and three months in custody since his arrest in Sept 2020 and that the plea was specifically tied to a personal and significant family occasion. “Considering the fact that the marriage is of the real sister of the applicant, the application is allowed and the applicant is granted interim bail,” the court said. It added that the interim relief would remain effective from Dec 16 to 29. The former JNU student will be released on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 20,000 along with two sureties of the same amount. The court also emphasised that the interim bail was being granted within a limited and clearly defined timeframe.The court observed that the temporary release would also allow Khalid to briefly reunite with his parents, besides with his elder sister and her children, who stayed abroad and were expected to attend the wedding. The order, however, imposed several conditions. Khalid has been specifically barred from contacting any witness connected with the case, from using social media in any form and from travelling to any place other than visits to his parents and immediate close relatives.Opposing the plea, the prosecution argued that “considering the act of the applicant, they do not deserve any relief”. It also pointed out that the actual ceremonies were scheduled only between Dec 25 and 27, lasting “three days”, and questioned the necessity of granting a 15-day relief. The court, however, proceeded to allow the full period sought by Khalid.This is not the first instance in which the former JNU scholar has received limited-duration bail for family functions. Last Dec, he was granted interim bail for seven days to attend a wedding in his family. In 2022, he was similarly granted a week-long release for his sister’s marriage.Khalid’s main bail plea, along with those filed by co-accused Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima and others in the larger conspiracy case, is pending before Supreme Court. They have been charged with alleged “criminal conspiracy, rioting, unlawful assembly and several offences” under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
