New Delhi: Former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader, Umar Khalid was granted seven days of interim bail by a Delhi court on December 18 to attend his cousin's wedding, from December 28 to January 3. Khalid had requested a 10-day interim bail through his lawyer.
The student leader has been in custody since September 2020 after being charged with provisions under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA in connection with the riots that erupted following protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Khalid has applied for bail multiple times over the last four years, with his most recent attempt on December 6 being rejected by the Delhi High Court.
In October 2022, Khalid moved the Delhi High Court for the second time, asking for parity of treatment with co-accused Devangana Kalita, Natasha Narwal, Asif Iqbal Tanha, and Ishrat Jahan, who were out on bail, reported news agency PTI.
Khalid's lawyer also argued that during the violence that erupted in the CAA protests, the accused was not even in northeast Delhi and had advocated for the "Gandhian principle" of non-violence in a speech delivered in Amravati.
