This order by Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat comes after the court deferred the pronouncement of order on Umar Khalid's bail plea thrice: first on 14 March, then 21 March and finally on 23 March.
Khalid, an activist and a former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student, was arrested on 14 September 2020 in connection with the case. He has been charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) as well as other Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
BACKGROUND
Communal clashes were reported in Northeast Delhi as protests intensified against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in the national capital in February 2020.
Eighteen people have been named accused in this case, but only six have received bail so far. Of the six who have got bail, only Ishrat Jahan has been granted the same by a sessions court. Five others – Faizan Khan, Safoora Zargar, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Natasha Narwal, and Devangana Kalita – had to go up to the Delhi High Court before they were granted any relief.
Khalid's counsel had opposed the UAPA charges in the court and had reportedly said that his speech in Amravati was about MK Gandhi, harmony, and the Constitution, which was not a crime
