Since the beginning, the case against Omar Khalid is full of discrepancies. The fur 59, which is related to the so -called ‘conspiracy’ behind the 2020 Delhi riots, has been accused under several sections of the IPC, including riots (sections 147 and 148), murder (section 302), and illegal assembly (section 149). Under UAPA, he faces allegations of illegal activities (Section 13), Terrorist Activities (Section 16 to 18), and Conspiracy (Section 18).
But what does the prosecution trust? a speech.
A speech in which he talked about unity, about peaceful resistance. In our words, “We will not respond to violence with violence.” We will not respond to hate from hate. If they hate, we will answer it by spreading love. “This is the foundation of allegations against him. A call for non -violence is considered as a function of terror.
In July 2021, Omar Khalid first transferred to the Delhi session court for bail. It took the court eight months to refuse his petition in March 2022. In April 2022, he contacted the Delhi High Court. In October 2022, his petition was dismissed. The irony is that Justice Siddharth Sridul, who had earlier granted bail to Asif Iqbal Tanha, Devangana Kalita, and Natasha Narwal in the same case, denied the government’s effort to blur the lines between protest and terrorism, denied Omar Khalid of the same relief.
In April 2023, he transferred the Supreme Court. In August, Justice PK Mishra recovered himself from the case. His bail argument was placed on a new bench, only 14 times in the next several months. By February 2024, due to no hearing in sight, Khalid withdrew his petition.
Since March 2024, he has returned to the session court for bail. His petition was rejected again in May 2024, pushed back to the Delhi High Court. Another cycle of delay, another loop of uncertainty.
