During the hearing last month in the Umar Khalid case, the Delhi High Court had said that the JNU student leader’s speech in Amaravati in February, 2020 was full of hate. But during the hearing held on Monday, the High Court had said that the speech may have been distasteful but it did not show any terrorist activity.
Umar Khalid is in jail for a long time and he has not been able to get bail. After hearing Khalid’s speech from Amravati, the court had said that it was offensive and absurd. The court had asked Khalid’s lawyer whether you do not think that it instigates people. Amaravati’s speech has been made an important part in the chargesheet filed by the police in the case of Khalid arrested in the Delhi riots.
On Monday, a bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Rajneesh Bhatnagar said that Amaravati’s speech can be treated as a cause of defamation but it cannot be treated as a terrorist act. The Special Cell of Delhi Police had arrested Umar Khalid under UAPA in September 2020. He was arrested in a case related to the Delhi riots.
However, Khalid’s lawyer argued that Delhi Police had registered 715 FIRs in connection with the Delhi riots and none of them named Umar Khalid. The FIR in which UAPA has been linked is unnecessary. This has been done to target those opposing the CAA. The lawyer said that parts of the speech given by Umar Khalid in Amravati Maharashtra were played on TV channels. One such part was tweeted by Amit Kumar Malviya, the head of BJP’s IT cell.
The High Court is currently hearing Khalid’s bail plea. On Monday, Khalid’s lawyers conducted their arguments. The bail hearing will now take place on July 4. Summer vacations have started in the court. Now it will open on 4th July.