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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Suggestion to release goats in forest to curb leopard attacks laughable: Ajit Pawar
Nagpur (PTI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday made light of the state forest minister's suggestion to release goats into the forest to keep leopards away from human settlements, saying that apart from big cats, villagers will also feast on this prey base.
During an informal interaction with reporters here, Pawar said the idea appeared to have originated from the forest department.
"Instead of leopards, even villagers will feast on the goats released as prey," he said with a chuckle.
Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik has suggested that forest officials release goats in large numbers in forests to stop leopards from entering human settlements in search of prey.
"If four people are killed in leopard attacks, the state must pay Rs 1 crore (as compensation). So I told officials, instead of paying compensation after deaths, release goats worth Rs 1 crore into the forest so leopards do not venture into human habitats," the minister had said.
When asked about the government's plans to tackle the rising incidents involving leopards, Pawar said leopards were breeding and living in certain pockets of Maharashtra, especially in sugarcane-growing regions.
He said the government had also made enquiries with Vantara zoo, which had conveyed that it could take only up to 50 leopards.
"I have heard there are nearly 2,000 leopards in Maharashtra. In such a situation, we need to think of other measures," Pawar added.
He said sterilisation could be an effective option, but its impact would be seen only over a long period, as even after sterilisation, leopards would continue to hunt for food.
Pawar said the government was working to enhance the capacity of existing rescue centres and set up new facilities to address the issue.
Ahilyanagar, Pune, and Nashik districts were reporting the highest number of leopard-related incidents, according to the state forest department.
