Umar Khalid withdraws bail plea 'due to changed circumstances' from Supreme Court in UAPA case

Former JNU student and activist Umar Khalid withdrew his bail plea from the Supreme Court in the February 2020 case of communal violence in Delhi. His lawyer Kapil Sibal said this was being done "due to changed circumstances".  

Former JNU student Umar Khalid on Wednesday withdrew his bail plea from the Supreme Court in a case lodged under anti-terror law UAPA over his alleged involvement in the conspiracy behind the northeast Delhi riots of February 2020.

Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, arguing on behalf of Khalid, informed a panel of Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal that he want to drop the bail request owing to a "change in circumstances." 

"I want to withdraw the bail plea because of a change in circumstances, but I still want to litigate the legal point (challenging UAPA regulations). In trial court, we'll give it a go," Kapil Sibal declared. 

The senior attorney, nevertheless, did not go into detail about the "change in circumstances," according to a PTI news report. The bench accepted Sibal's request and ordered for withdrawal of the bail plea of Khalid who challenged the October 18, 2022 order of the Delhi High Court by which his plea was rejected. 

Umar Khalid's request for bail was denied by the high court, which stated that the accusations against him were initially accurate and that he maintained regular communication with his co-accused. According to PTI sources, the high court also said that the accused's acts met the requirements for a "terrorist act" under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. 

According to the Indian Penal Code and the anti-terror statute UAPA, Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and several other persons have been charged with being the "masterminds" of the riots in February 2020 that resulted in over 700 injuries and 53 fatalities.

The violence had erupted during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Khalid, arrested by the Delhi Police in September 2020, had sought bail on grounds that he neither had any criminal role in the violence nor any "conspiratorial connect" with any other accused in the case.