2020 Delhi riots: Court denies bail to former JNU student Umar Khalid

PTI, Mar 24, 2022, 5:21 PM IST

A Delhi court on Thursday denied bail to former JNU student Umar Khalid in a case of larger conspiracy in connection with Delhi riots during February 2020.

Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat had reserved the order on March 3 after hearing arguments from the counsel appearing for Khalid and the prosecution.

During the arguments, the accused told the court that the prosecution lacked the evidence to prove it’s case against him.

Khalid and several others have been booked under the anti-terror law UAPA in the case for being the ”masterminds” of the February 2020 riots, which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

The violence had erupted during the protests against the citisenship law CAA and the National Register of Citizens.

Besides Khalid, activist Khalid Saifi, JNU students Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, Jamia Coordination Committee members Safoora Zargar, former AAP councilor Tahir Hussain and several others have also been booked under the stringent law in the case.