Umar Khalid gets 3-day interim bail for mother’s surgery

The Delhi High Court on Friday granted three days of interim bail to Umar Khalid in the UAPA case linked to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 North East Delhi riots. A division bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Madhu Jain directed that Khalid be released from June 1 to June 3 to enable him to attend to his mother, whose surgery is scheduled on June 2.

Khalid had approached the High Court challenging a May 19 order of the trial court denying him interim bail. He had sought 15 days of interim bail to attend the Chehlum ceremony of his late uncle and to assist his mother before and after her surgery. During the hearing, senior advocate Trideep Pais, appearing for Khalid, argued that interim bail had previously been granted to him on multiple occasions, including for his sister’s wedding, and that he had complied with all imposed conditions.

Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for Delhi Police, opposed the plea and submitted that Khalid’s mother was undergoing only a minor surgery and could be cared for by other family members, including his sisters and father. He also argued that Khalid could visit her for a day under police escort if necessary. After hearing both sides, the High Court said it was taking an “empathetic view” while granting limited interim bail.

The bench directed that Khalid would be allowed to keep only one mobile phone during the bail period and must remain in continuous contact with the investigating officer. The court said detailed conditions would be specified in the final order. The earlier trial court order had observed that previous grants of interim bail and compliance with conditions could not automatically justify bail on every subsequent request.

The trial court had also stated that attendance at the Chehlum ceremony was not essential and noted that Khalid had not sought release immediately after his uncle’s death. Regarding his mother’s surgery, the court had observed that other family members were available to care for her. Khalid is an accused in FIR 59/2020, which includes charges under multiple provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Arms Act, the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act and the Indian Penal Code in connection with the 2020 North East Delhi riots case.