UAPA case: Ex-JNU student Umar Khalid withdraws bail plea from SC
New Delhi (PTI): 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.
A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal was told by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Khalid, that he wishes to withdraw the bail plea due to "change in circumstances".
Sibal said, "I wish to argue the legal question (challenging UAPA provisions) but wants to withdraw the bail plea due to change in circumstances. We will try our luck in trial court."
The senior lawyer, however, did not elaborate on "change in circumstances".
The bench accepted the request of Sibal and ordered for withdrawal of the bail plea of Khalid.
Khalid has challenged the October 18, 2022 order of the Delhi High Court by which his bail plea was rejected.
The high court had rejected Khalid's bail plea, saying he was in constant touch with other co-accused and the allegations against him were prima facie true.
The high court had also said the actions of the accused prima facie qualified as "terrorist act" under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and several others have been booked under the anti-terror law UAPA and several provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the February 2020 riots, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.
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.
The Delhi Police had opposed Khalid's bail plea in the high court, saying the speech delivered by him was "very calculated" and he brought up contentious issues like Babri Masjid, triple talaq, Kashmir, the alleged suppression of Muslims and the CAA and NRC
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PM Modi hails Vaibhav Suryavanshi's sensational knock in IPL
Patna, May 4 (PTI): Teenager Vaibhav Suryavanshi's astonishing batting skills have captured the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who on Sunday hailed the 'son of Bihar' for working immensely hard on his craft which helped him play fearless cricket on the big stage.
Modi mentioned Vaibhav's batting exploits in his video address during the inauguration of the Khelo India Youth Games in Bihar.
The 14-year-old Suryavanshi, who hails from Bihar's Samastipur, became a toast of cricketing world when he hit a stunning 35-ball hundred for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans recently in the IPL.
"I have seen in the IPL, the son of Bihar, Vaibhav Suryavanshi's spectacular performance. At such a young age, Vaibhav has set such a great record. There is a lot of hard work behind Vaibhav's performance," Modi said in his address.
Modi said single-minded training and several matches he played to be ready for the big challenges contributed to Suryavanshi's success and encouraged the youth to put in the hard yards and compete intensely.
"To bring his talent to the forefront, he has played many matches at different levels. The more you play, the more you will shine. Competing in matches and competitions as much as possible is very important. The NDA government has always given it the highest priority in its policies.
"The government's focus is on giving our athletes the opportunity to play new sports. That is why the Khelo India Youth Games included Gatka, Kho-kho, Malkhambh and Yogasana. In recent days, our athletes have performed very well in many new sports like Wushu, Lawn Balls, Roller Skating."
Modi said sports holds a significant place in his government's policy making.
"There is a new national education policy, in which we have made sports a part of mainstream education. The aim of this policy is to create excellent sports professionals along with good players in the country.
"My young friends, we know that sportsmanship plays a very important role in every aspect of life. We learn team spirit in the field of sports. We learn to move forward together," he said.
Best wishes to the athletes participating in the Khelo India Youth Games being held in Bihar. May this platform bring out your best and promote true sporting excellence. @kheloindia https://t.co/jlOrc6qO1U
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 4, 2025
