Indian Youth Congress (IYC) National President Uday Bhanu Chib was granted bail by a Delhi court in connection with the protest staged during the India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam, even as the police sought extended custody in the case.
The duty magistrate at Patiala House Court allowed Chib’s release on a personal bond of ₹50,000. The court also directed him to deposit his passport and surrender his electronic gadgets as part of the bail conditions.
‘Crime Branch Failed to Justify Extended Custody’
The relief came after the Delhi Police Crime Branch moved an application late at night seeking a seven-day extension of Chib’s police custody. Separate pleas were also filed seeking remand of two other accused in the matter.
However, after the defence filed a bail application, the duty magistrate ruled in Chib’s favour, observing that the Crime Branch had failed to provide sufficient grounds to warrant further remand. The court said the investigating agency could not convincingly justify the need for extending his custody.
Arrest Followed Hours of Interrogation
Earlier, on Tuesday, Chib was produced before the Patiala House Court following his arrest by Delhi Police in connection with the shirtless protest held during the India AI Impact Summit and Expo 2026 at Bharat Mandapam.
The investigating agency had initially sought seven days of custodial interrogation, alleging that Chib was the “main conspirator and mastermind” behind the demonstration. The prosecution argued that extended custody was necessary to uncover what it described as a larger conspiracy. The defence opposed prolonged detention.
After hearing both sides, the court had remanded Chib to four days of police custody for further investigation.
According to the grounds of arrest, Chib has been accused of organising an unlawful assembly on February 20 during the AI Summit, where police claimed anti-national slogans were raised and attempts were made to create a riot-like situation.
‘Assaulted Police Personnel’
Investigators further alleged that Chib, along with co-accused Krishna Hari, Kundan Yadav, Narasimha Yadav, Ajay Kumar Yadav and others, obstructed and assaulted police personnel on duty.
The arrest memo stated that Chib allegedly did not cooperate during questioning and failed to disclose details about absconding co-accused and the source of the T-shirts used during the protest.
He was taken into custody after nearly 15 hours of interrogation at Tilak Marg police station.
The protest, staged on the final day of the summit, sparked a political controversy. The Bharatiya Janata Party criticised the demonstration as an attempt to damage India’s global image, while the Congress party defended it as a peaceful expression of youth concerns.
