Umar Khalid Gets Interim Bail To Attend To Ailing Mother

Jailed student activist Umar Khalid has been granted interim bail for two days to attend to his mother during a surgery and take part in a ritual pertaining to his uncle's death.

The Delhi High Court granted the bail on Friday, days after a trial court rejected his plea. He will be out on bail from June 1 till June 3 to attend to his ailing mother. He will also take part in the Islamic ritual of Chehlum, observed 40 days after the death of a family member.

Khalid has been in jail in connection with the larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots. He had sought a temporary release for 15 days before a trial court.

According to the plea filed before the trial court, his uncle Khursheed Ahmad Khan died on April 10, and the Chehlum ritual was scheduled to be held in Delhi on May 24. Khalid had also submitted that his mother has been unwell and has been advised a lump excision surgery on June 2.

Umar Khalid returned to Tihar jail on December 29, after 14 days' bail to attend his sister's wedding.

The plea stated that despite Khalid's family consisting of his parents and five sisters, his presence was needed for his mother's surgery as his 71-year-old father was not in a position to take care of his mother, while his sisters lived away after marriage. Being the eldest and the only son in the family, Khalid was required to assist his mother before and after the surgery, the plea stated.

Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma Court had said that attending his uncle's Chehlum ceremony was not necessary. On the second ground relating to his mother's surgery, the court had added that Khalid has multiple family members who can support his mother.

In December last year, a Delhi court had allowed Khalid interim bail for 14 days to attend his sister's wedding, subject to conditions including restrictions on movement and social media use. He has also been granted interim bail on several occasions, including for short durations in 2022 and 2024.

Khalid has been in custody since September 2020 under provisions of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other offences. Several student activists allegedly involved in organising protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) during 2019-2020 had conspired to engineer the riots that erupted in North East Delhi in February 2020, according to the police.