Umar Khalid granted interim bail to attend sister’s wedding in Delhi riots conspiracy case
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Thursday, December 11, granted interim bail to former JNU scholar and activist Umar Khalid in the 2020 North-East Delhi riots larger conspiracy case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Khalid sought temporary relief to attend his sister’s wedding.
Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma Courts allowed Khalid interim bail from December 16 to December 29. The court directed him to furnish a personal bond of ₹20,000 along with two sureties of the same amount.
While granting relief, the court imposed several conditions. Khalid has been barred from contacting any witnesses or individuals connected to the case. He must provide his mobile number to the investigating officer and keep it operational throughout the bail period. The court further directed him not to use social media and to remain either at his home or at the specified wedding-related venues. He is permitted to meet only family members, relatives and friends during the interim bail.
Khalid has been ordered to surrender before the Superintendent of the concerned prison on the evening of December 29.
This is not the first time interim bail has been granted to him for family functions. In December 2023, he received a seven-day interim bail for a family wedding, and earlier in 2022 he was granted a week-long bail to attend another sister’s marriage ceremony.
Khalid’s regular bail pleas have seen multiple rejections. The Delhi High Court denied him bail in October 2022, following which he approached the Supreme Court but later withdrew his special leave petition. A second regular bail plea before the trial court was also rejected, prompting another challenge before the High Court. On September 2, 2024, a division bench observed that Khalid’s prima facie role in the alleged conspiracy appeared “grave,” citing purported inflammatory speeches intended to mobilize members of the Muslim community.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court reserved its judgment on bail pleas filed by Khalid, along with co-accused Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima and others.
FIR 59 of 2020, registered by the Delhi Police Special Cell, names several accused including Tahir Hussain, Khalid Saifi, Ishrat Jahan, Meeran Haider, Shifa-Ur-Rehman, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Safoora Zargar, Natasha Narwal and others, under the Indian Penal Code and UAPA provisions in connection with the alleged conspiracy preceding the 2020 riots.
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86 nations, two int'l organisations sign AI Impact Summit declaration: IT Min Vaishnaw
New Delhi (PTI): As many as 86 countries and two international organisations have signed the AI Impact Summit declaration, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said, adding that the US, UK, Canada, China, Denmark, and Germany are among the signatories.
The strong global backing for the declaration comes at the conclusion of the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.
Vaishnaw told reporters that nations across the world have formalised and upheld principles of 'welfare of all, and happiness of all'.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi's human-centric AI vision been accepted by the world. Democratising Artificial Intelligence resources so AI facilities, services and technology can reach everyone in society has been accepted by all," the minister said.
Balancing economic growth with social good has been prioritised, he added.
"Not just economic growth, even social harmony has to be kept in mind. Safety and trust are at the centre, they have been brought among the main points," Vaishnaw said, adding that a secure, trustworthy and robust AI framework has been focused on.
Other major areas of thrust include innovations and development of human capital, he noted.
"For all these areas, all countries have agreed to work together. Almost all countries that participated, including the US, the UK, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Indonesia, and Germany... everyone has participated," the minister said.
The mega AI Impact Summit secured investment commitments of over USD 250 billion in infrastructure alone, with Vaishnaw on Friday terming it a "grand success".
Vaishnaw had said participation at the summit crossed five lakh visitors, reflecting strong domestic and global engagement with India's AI push.
The India AI Impact Summit brought together global policymakers, industry leaders and technology experts, positioning India as a key player in shaping international AI governance and infrastructure development.
"More than five lakh visitors participated in the exhibition, learnt a lot, and interacted with many experts from around the world. We had practically every major AI player in the world participating in large numbers. We had so many startups getting the opportunity to showcase their work. Overall, the quality of the discussion was phenomenal," he had said.
Be it the ministerial dialogue, the leaders' plenary, the main inauguration function, or the Summit overall, the quality of participation and dialogue was phenomenal, Vaishnaw had pointed out.
The investment pledges have crossed USD 250 billion for infra-related capital and around USD 20 billion on VC/deep tech investments.
Vaishnaw had said that the Summit reflected the world's confidence in India's role in the new AI age.
Delhi played host to a lineup of global tech heavyweights this week - Google's Sundar Pichai, OpenAI's Sam Altman, Microsoft's Brad Smith and Anthropic's Dario Amodei - as discussions spanned most intensely debated global topics in the tech universe, from AI's opportunities and risks, all the way to AGI, governance and the future of jobs.
