News Analysis India

Tag: Umar Khalid

  • Delhi court grants seven-day interim bail to Umar Khalid for sister’s wedding

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: A court here on Monday granted one-week interim bail to former JNU student Umar Khalid, arrested in a case related to the northeast Delhi riots, for attending his sister’s wedding.

    Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat granted relief to Khalid from December 23 to 30.

    He has to surrender on December 30 and no extension can be granted, a court source told PTI.

    The detailed order is awaited.

    Khalid had moved an application seeking two weeks’ interim bail — from December 20 to January 3 — for his sister’s wedding.

    Khalid was booked under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being a mastermind of the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots, which had 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 was arrested by the Delhi Police in September 2020.

    He was discharged in a case related to the riots on December 3.

    NEW DELHI: A court here on Monday granted one-week interim bail to former JNU student Umar Khalid, arrested in a case related to the northeast Delhi riots, for attending his sister’s wedding.

    Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat granted relief to Khalid from December 23 to 30.

    He has to surrender on December 30 and no extension can be granted, a court source told PTI.

    The detailed order is awaited.

    Khalid had moved an application seeking two weeks’ interim bail — from December 20 to January 3 — for his sister’s wedding.

    Khalid was booked under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being a mastermind of the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots, which had 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 was arrested by the Delhi Police in September 2020.

    He was discharged in a case related to the riots on December 3.

  • SC clarifies verdict on Umar Khalid will not prejudice HC’s observations on Sharjeel Imam 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday clarified the observations made in respect of JNU student Sharjeel Imam in the Delhi High Court verdict, which rejected the bail plea of co-accused Umar Khalid in a case of alleged conspiracy behind the February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi, will not prejudice his case pending before the court.

    A bench of Justices S K Kaul and A S Oka, which was hearing Imam’s plea concerning the remarks made against him in the October 18 judgement of the high court, said one of the paragraphs in the verdict clarified “nothing stated hereinabove shall tantamount to an expression of any opinion on the merits of the case”.

    “This happens when people argue bail applications like it is an appeal on merits,” Justice Kaul observed, adding that bail applications should not be argued for over 10 minutes.

    In its verdict rejecting former JNU student Khalid’s plea seeking bail, the high court had said he was in constant touch with other co-accused and allegations against him were prima facie true having carefully gone through the charge-sheet and taking into consideration the fact that the appellant (Khalid) was in constant touch with other co-accused persons, including Sharjeel Imam, who arguably is at the head of the conspiracy; at this stage, it is difficult to form an opinion that there are no reasonable grounds for believing that the accusation against the petitioner is prima facie not proved,” the high court had said in its verdict.

    During the hearing before the top court, the counsel appearing for Imam told the bench they are constrained to move the apex court as serious prejudice would be caused to the petitioner due to the observations made by the high court in the order denying bail to one of the co-accused in the case.

    “We have noticed that in paragraph 68 of the judgement, the division bench of the high court has clarified that the observations shall not tantamount to an expression of any opinion on the merits of the case,” the bench said.

    “We clarify that any observations made in respect to the petitioner (Imam) will not prejudice the petitioner,” the top court said.

    Justice Kaul observed he finds it a complete wastage of time when the hearing on bail applications goes on and on.

    Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and several others have been booked under the anti-terror law the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and 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 erupted during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday clarified the observations made in respect of JNU student Sharjeel Imam in the Delhi High Court verdict, which rejected the bail plea of co-accused Umar Khalid in a case of alleged conspiracy behind the February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi, will not prejudice his case pending before the court.

    A bench of Justices S K Kaul and A S Oka, which was hearing Imam’s plea concerning the remarks made against him in the October 18 judgement of the high court, said one of the paragraphs in the verdict clarified “nothing stated hereinabove shall tantamount to an expression of any opinion on the merits of the case”.

    “This happens when people argue bail applications like it is an appeal on merits,” Justice Kaul observed, adding that bail applications should not be argued for over 10 minutes.

    In its verdict rejecting former JNU student Khalid’s plea seeking bail, the high court had said he was in constant touch with other co-accused and allegations against him were prima facie true having carefully gone through the charge-sheet and taking into consideration the fact that the appellant (Khalid) was in constant touch with other co-accused persons, including Sharjeel Imam, who arguably is at the head of the conspiracy; at this stage, it is difficult to form an opinion that there are no reasonable grounds for believing that the accusation against the petitioner is prima facie not proved,” the high court had said in its verdict.

    During the hearing before the top court, the counsel appearing for Imam told the bench they are constrained to move the apex court as serious prejudice would be caused to the petitioner due to the observations made by the high court in the order denying bail to one of the co-accused in the case.

    “We have noticed that in paragraph 68 of the judgement, the division bench of the high court has clarified that the observations shall not tantamount to an expression of any opinion on the merits of the case,” the bench said.

    “We clarify that any observations made in respect to the petitioner (Imam) will not prejudice the petitioner,” the top court said.

    Justice Kaul observed he finds it a complete wastage of time when the hearing on bail applications goes on and on.

    Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and several others have been booked under the anti-terror law the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and 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 erupted during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

  • Delhi Riots 2020: HC denies bail to Umar Khalid in UAPA case, says ‘no merit in bail appeal’

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to grant bail to former JNU student Umar Khalid in a UAPA case related to alleged conspiracy behind the riots here in February 2020.

    “There is no merit in the bail appeal. Bail appeal is dismissed,” said a bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Rajnish Bhatnagar.

    Khalid, arrested by Delhi Police in September 2020, sought bail on grounds that he neither had any “criminal role” in the violence in the city’s north-east area nor any “conspiratorial connect” with any other accused in the case.

    The bail plea was opposed by the Delhi Police.

    ALSO READ | Umar Khalid completes 2 years in jail; mother says she is ‘optimistic’ of him walking free soon

    Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and several others have been booked under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 riots, which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

    The violence had erupted during the protests against CAA and NRC.

    Besides Khalid, activist Khalid Saifi, JNU students Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, Jamia Coordination Committee members Safoora Zargar, former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and several others have also been booked under the stringent law in the case.

    NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to grant bail to former JNU student Umar Khalid in a UAPA case related to alleged conspiracy behind the riots here in February 2020.

    “There is no merit in the bail appeal. Bail appeal is dismissed,” said a bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Rajnish Bhatnagar.

    Khalid, arrested by Delhi Police in September 2020, sought bail on grounds that he neither had any “criminal role” in the violence in the city’s north-east area nor any “conspiratorial connect” with any other accused in the case.

    The bail plea was opposed by the Delhi Police.

    ALSO READ | Umar Khalid completes 2 years in jail; mother says she is ‘optimistic’ of him walking free soon

    Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and several others have been booked under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 riots, which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

    The violence had erupted during the protests against CAA and NRC.

    Besides Khalid, activist Khalid Saifi, JNU students Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, Jamia Coordination Committee members Safoora Zargar, former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and several others have also been booked under the stringent law in the case.

  • Umar Khalid completes 2 years in jail; mother says she is ‘optimistic’ of him walking free soon

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: “I am optimistic, that he will walk out of prison soon,” says the mother of former JNU student leader Umar Khalid who has been in jail from two years in connection with Northeast Delhi riots in 2020.

    Khalid was arrested by Delhi Police on September 13, 2020. He has been booked under provisions of The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

    The Delhi Police charged Khalid for disrupting religious sentiments and argued that he was a part of a larger conspiracy in the riots that jolted the national capital.

    “I am highly optimistic that my son will walk out of the jail very soon. I spoke to Umar last week, he always speaks cheerfully. I keep on trying to motivate him and ask him to keep his hopes high. Not just bail, but all cases against him should be closed off or withdrawn,” Khalid’s mother Sabiha Khanum told PTI.

    The Delhi High Court had last week reserved its order on Khalid’s bail plea.

    Khalid had contended that he neither had any “criminal role” in the violence nor any “conspiratorial connect” with any other accused in the matter.

    Speaking at an event ‘In pursuit of Justice’ here, Supreme Court advocate Shah Rukh Alam claimed that the FIR against Khalid is “nothing but a political document” and that, there is no “substantial evidence” against the accused.

    “When the court tells us to keep politics away’, it is mostly when someone questions the policies of the government. FIR number 59 of 2020 doesn’t mention any offence and there’s no substantial evidence in the FIR. It is purely a political document and so was the state’s counter during Khalid’s bail hearing,” Alam.

    JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh said that the government “tends to take action” against those “who question their policies”.

    “Umar always discussed the injustice that happened, not just within the campus, but also outside it. That is what made his voice distinct and hence, the people in power are scared of students like him. The fight of all political prisoners will continue even though this government tends to take action against all those who question their policies,” she said.

    During his bail plea hearing, Khalid said that there was no material to support the case of the prosecution against him and that he raised issues that several others were discussing in the country, including those concerning the Citizenship Amendment Act.

    Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and several others were booked under the anti-terror law UAPA, and provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 riots, which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

    The violence erupted during the protests against CAA and NRC. In a letter to his friend written from the prison premises, Khalid said that he feels lonely and pessimistic at times.

    “How do we fight against this monstrous machine of lies and falsehood? The purveyors of hate and falsehood have so many resources ” money, pliant 24×7 news channels, lots of them, troll armies, and the police too.

    To be honest, it makes me feel pessimistic at times. At times I also feel lonely. Lots of people far more privileged than me who were together in this fight against fascism, in the movement against CAA-NRC/NPR, today choose to remain silent when I am singled out for these lies.

    “It makes you feel unwanted. It makes you feel like a stranger in your own land. The only thing I find succour in such moments is the realisation that none of this is personal. That my persecution and isolation is symbolic of something larger — the persecution and isolation of Muslims in India right now,” Khalid said in the letter shared with the online portal The Wire.

    NEW DELHI: “I am optimistic, that he will walk out of prison soon,” says the mother of former JNU student leader Umar Khalid who has been in jail from two years in connection with Northeast Delhi riots in 2020.

    Khalid was arrested by Delhi Police on September 13, 2020. He has been booked under provisions of The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

    The Delhi Police charged Khalid for disrupting religious sentiments and argued that he was a part of a larger conspiracy in the riots that jolted the national capital.

    “I am highly optimistic that my son will walk out of the jail very soon. I spoke to Umar last week, he always speaks cheerfully. I keep on trying to motivate him and ask him to keep his hopes high. Not just bail, but all cases against him should be closed off or withdrawn,” Khalid’s mother Sabiha Khanum told PTI.

    The Delhi High Court had last week reserved its order on Khalid’s bail plea.

    Khalid had contended that he neither had any “criminal role” in the violence nor any “conspiratorial connect” with any other accused in the matter.

    Speaking at an event ‘In pursuit of Justice’ here, Supreme Court advocate Shah Rukh Alam claimed that the FIR against Khalid is “nothing but a political document” and that, there is no “substantial evidence” against the accused.

    “When the court tells us to keep politics away’, it is mostly when someone questions the policies of the government. FIR number 59 of 2020 doesn’t mention any offence and there’s no substantial evidence in the FIR. It is purely a political document and so was the state’s counter during Khalid’s bail hearing,” Alam.

    JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh said that the government “tends to take action” against those “who question their policies”.

    “Umar always discussed the injustice that happened, not just within the campus, but also outside it. That is what made his voice distinct and hence, the people in power are scared of students like him. The fight of all political prisoners will continue even though this government tends to take action against all those who question their policies,” she said.

    During his bail plea hearing, Khalid said that there was no material to support the case of the prosecution against him and that he raised issues that several others were discussing in the country, including those concerning the Citizenship Amendment Act.

    Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and several others were booked under the anti-terror law UAPA, and provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 riots, which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

    The violence erupted during the protests against CAA and NRC. In a letter to his friend written from the prison premises, Khalid said that he feels lonely and pessimistic at times.

    “How do we fight against this monstrous machine of lies and falsehood? The purveyors of hate and falsehood have so many resources ” money, pliant 24×7 news channels, lots of them, troll armies, and the police too.

    To be honest, it makes me feel pessimistic at times. At times I also feel lonely. Lots of people far more privileged than me who were together in this fight against fascism, in the movement against CAA-NRC/NPR, today choose to remain silent when I am singled out for these lies.

    “It makes you feel unwanted. It makes you feel like a stranger in your own land. The only thing I find succour in such moments is the realisation that none of this is personal. That my persecution and isolation is symbolic of something larger — the persecution and isolation of Muslims in India right now,” Khalid said in the letter shared with the online portal The Wire.

  • Delhi riots: Umar Khalid withdraws bail plea after police objects to maintainability, files fresh appeal .

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Former JNU student leader Umar Khalid, arrested under stringent anti-terror law UAPA in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case, has withdrawn his bail application and filed a fresh one after the city police objected to its maintainability.

    Senior advocate Trideep Pais, appearing for Khalid, told Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat that the application seeking bail under section 439 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) has been substituted with the one under section 437 after the police objected to it.

    Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad, representing the police, objected to the fresh plea that purportedly accused the prosecution of adopting “dilatory tactic” and called it “not fair”.

    “In the interim application you have filed, you have made certain allegations that the objections taken by the prosecution are dilatory tactics.

    Therefore, to paint the prosecution by saying that it is dilatory tactics is not fair,” the prosecutor said.

    The fresh application was filed after Prasad submitted that the court hearing the plea is a special court designated under UAPA Act and therefore exercises all powers that are before the Court of Magistrate within the rigours of section 437 of CrPC.

    ASJ Rawat sought the police reply on the fresh bail application and posted the matter to September 8.

    In the last hearing on the bail plea on September 3, Khalid told the court that the charge sheet in the case has made hyperbolic allegations without any factual basis and reads like a script from a web series and news channels.

    Delhi Police had earlier said the bail plea had no merit and that it will demonstrate the prima facie case against him before the court by referring to the charge sheet filed in the case.

    Khalid, along with several others, has been booked under the anti-terror law in the case.

    They are accused of being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 violence, which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

    He has sought bail in the case.

  • Umar Khalid calls Delhi riots conspiracy case ‘cooked up’, points to contradictions

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Former JNU student leader Umar Khalid, arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the north-east Delhi riots conspiracy case, told a Delhi Court on Monday that there were various contradictions in the police’s claims and called it a “cooked up” case.

    Khalid, along with several others, has been booked under the stringent anti-terror law UAPA.

    They are accused of being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 violence, which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

    He has sought bail in the case.

    Trideep Pais, Khalid’s lawyer, told Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat that the FIR was cooked up and unnecessary, and was used selectively to target and frame them.

    The counsel pointed to two contradictions in Delhi Police’s claims.

    ​ALSO READ | Anti-CAA protests: Sharjeel Imam denies inciting violence, says cannot be hammered with sedition

    Firstly, he showed the court a 21-minute video clip of Khalid’s speech in Maharashtra, which the prosecution had allegedly labelled inflammatory.

    The lawyer, pursuant to showing the video, apprised the court that his client did not give any call for violence through the speech and in fact gave a message of unity to the people.

    “A message of unity based on Gandhi ji was given by Umar Khalid that day. It was termed as terror. Content is not seditious. He is talking about democratic power. He referred to Gandhi,” Pais added.

    Secondly, he argued that as per the police case, Khalid conspired with other accused on January 8 to cause riots during former US President Donald Trump’s visit, however, the news about his visit was announced only in February.

    ALSO READ | Both factions of Hurriyat Conference likely to be banned under UAPA

    “These are the kind of lies they are peddling. This is a joke. This FIR is a cooked-up theory. Is it that easy to prosecute people? Do you have no responsibility as a prosecution?” Pais said.

    Delhi Police had recently said that the bail plea has no merit and that it will demonstrate the prima facie case against him before the court by referring to the charge sheet filed in the case.

    In April, the former JNU student was granted bail in one of the riot cases.

    The court while granting him bail noted that he was not physically present at the scene of the crime on the date of the incident.

    Besides him, JNU students Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, Jamia Coordination Committee members Safoora Zargar, former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and several others have also been booked under the stringent law in the case.

  • Pegasus row: Activists and student leaders too on snooping list, claims media report

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  An international collaboration of journalists on Tuesday revealed a list of names of activists and anti-caste leaders, including former JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, who were potential targets of the Israeli spyware Pegasus.

    The Wire news portal, in the third part of its revelations from the international collaborative journalistic investigation called the Pegasus Project, reported that those marked as potential targets for surveillance include Ambedkarite activist Ashok Bharti; academic and chronicler of life in Naxal-dominated regions Bela Bhatia; railway union leader Shiv Gopal Mishra, Delhi-based labour rights activist Anjani Kumar, anti-coal mining activist Alok Shukla and Delhi University professor Saroj Giri.

    “Without digital forensics, it is not possible to conclusively establish whether their phones were hacked or infected. But their appearance on the list suggests that they were persons of interest to an unidentified client of the NSO Group that was focused on India,” the report said.

    The spyware is owned by Israeli company NSO Group, which said it provides the technology only to ‘vetted governments’. A list of almost 1,000 Indians was obtained by Amnesty International and the Paris-based Forbidden Stories, through a leak. 

    On Monday, the portal claimed phones of politicians Rahul Gandhi, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and others were potential targets. It added that upon technical analysis, it was found election strategist Prashant Kishor’s phone was infected with the spyware.

    The government has dismissed the reports on the use of Pegasus software to snoop on Indians, saying the allegations levelled just ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament are aimed at “maligning Indian democracy”.

    Ashok Bharti, the chairman of All India Ambedkar Mahasabha, an umbrella association of Dalit rights’ groups, had led a nationwide Bharat Bandh on April, 2, 2018 against a Supreme Court ruling, which he claimed took away the teeth of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

    The ruling sparked massive demonstrations across the country, and the Bharat Bandh claimed 11 lives and left hundreds injured.

    In 2019, WhatsApp stated that four of the activists mentioned above — Saroj Giri, Bela Bhatia, Alok Shukla and Shubranshu Choudhary — were affected by a Pegasus attack that took place through a specific vulnerability in the company’s security.

    Two of the former JNU students — Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya — were among those charged for sedition over an event on JNU campus where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.

    Khalid is currently in jail for charges under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with the northeast Delhi riots of February 2020.

    The report has been published by The Wire news portal from India in collaboration with 16 other international publications including the Washington Post, The Guardian and Le Monde, as media partners to an investigation conducted by Paris-based media non-profit organisation Forbidden Stories and rights group Amnesty International.

    The investigation focuses on a leaked list of more than 50,000 phone numbers from across the world that are believed to have been the target of surveillance through Pegasus software of Israeli surveillance company NSO Group.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Umar Khalid recovers from COVID-19 in Tihar jail

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Former JNU student Umar Khalid, who was arrested in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots, has recovered from COVID-19 in Tihar jail and returned to his cell, officials said on Thursday.

    A senior official said Khalid, 33, was isolated within the Tihar jail premises after he showed symptoms of COVID-19.

    His RT-PCR test report came back positive on April 24.

    Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on February 24 after violence between supporters of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and those opposing it spiralled out of control, leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.

    Khalid was arrested in October last year for his alleged role in a case related to violence in Khajuri Khas area of northeast Delhi.

    He was also arrested in September last year under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in another case related to the riots.

  • Former JNU student leader Umar Khalid tests positive for COVID, isolated within Tihar Jail

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Former JNU student Umar Khalid, arrested in connection with the 2020 Delhi riot cases, has tested positive for COVID-19, and has been isolated within the Tihar Jail premises here, officials said Sunday.

    A senior official said the 33-year-old Khalid had developed symptoms of the diseases following which he was tested for the coronavirus infection.

    Khalid’s RT-PCR test report came on Saturday as positive, the official said, adding he has been isolated within the jail premises.

    Khaild was arrested for his alleged role in the Delhi riots of February 2020.

  • Delhi riots: Design by media to prejudice opinion against me, Khalid tells court

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Former JNU student leader Umar Khalid alleged before a court here on Thursday there was a “deliberate design” by the media and a “concerted effort” to prejudice opinion against him in a north-east Delhi riots case.

    The submissions were made before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Dinesh Kumar during the hearing on a plea moved by Khalid, in which he alleged a “vicious media trial” by leaking of the supplementary charge sheet filed against him even before the court took cognisance.

    Khalid said the alleged adversarial media reports, which painted him as guilty, were continuing and caused him deep distress.

    “The adversarial media reports, painting me not only as an accused but almost as a guilty have continued.

    I want to point it out to you as it is causing me deep distress and clearly affecting my right to a fair trial.

    The fact that it is continuing even after me pointing it out to you, I see it as a deliberate design,” he alleged.

    He further claimed that extracts from his alleged disclosure statement, which hold no value in the court of law, have been made into headlines.

    He pointed out that the alleged disclosure statement have “refused to sign” written below his name.

    Referring to a media report which allegedly quoted the court saying that Khalid and co-accused Tahir Hussain conspired together, he claimed the media was propagating as if the court had said it when it had simply taken cognisance of the charge sheet.

    “You can imagine that the police can write anything in a document which I have refused to sign.

    On one hand of course there is a deliberate design by the media but this thing of leaking of the charge sheet even before the court took its cognisance officially, I see it as a concerted effort to sort of prejudice opinion against me and affect my right to a fair trial,” Khalid alleged.

    To this the judge told him he can file a separate complaint felt there was an alleged vendetta going on against him.

    Khalid also submitted that he wanted to go through the photographs and the video footage filed as part of the charge sheet in jail and asked to be provided the same.

    To this the court directed the investigating officer to provide a pen drive containing the photographs and the video footage to the concerned Jail Superintendent who should allow to watch the contents on a computer screen available in prison.

    The court put up the matter for further hearing on January 19.

    It had earlier sought reply from the police as to how the copy of a supplementary charge sheet, filed against Khalid in the case related to riots in Khajuri Khas area, was allegedly leaked to the media, even before the accused or his counsel got it.

    Khalid has alleged in his plea that the allegations in the charge sheet and its dissemination by the media were allegedly “false” and “malicious” and compromised his right to a fair trial.

    “When I go the charge sheet, it is written below my so-called disclosure statement ‘refused to sign’.

    Despite that it is leaked and then it is reported like this.

    .

    .

    This is not the first time.

    It has happened before too.

      “I don’t expect this to be the last time also on the part of the police.

    This has been done in other cases too.

    My only hope rests with you to ensure that these kinds of practices don’t happen again.

    ” Khalid had told the judge.

    His plea has claimed that it was amply evident from several news reports, both print and television, that the charge sheet has been leaked to the media and certain sections have been citing purported segments to allegedly convey that he has inter alia admitted to having conspired to fuel the riots and to having involved children and women for organising ‘chakka jams’.

    The application has further said that though Khalid had told the court that he had not signed any document or statement during his police custody in the case, a section of the media was reporting from his alleged disclosure statement that he had allegedly accepted that he conspired to fuel the riots.

    “None of the news reports include any characterisation to the effect that the contents of the charge sheet are mere allegations at this stage that they are yet to be provided beyond reasonable doubt,” it had stated.

    It had said there was no clarification to the effect that disclosure statements made whilst in police custody are wholly inadmissible in evidence and have no basis inn law.

    “As such, the purported allegation in the charge sheet to the effect that the accused has admitted to his involvement in the north east Delhi riots, as currently being disseminated by certain sections of the media, is nothing short of vilification campaign based on wholly false and malicious assertions aimed at eroding the accused’s right to a fair trial,” it claimed.

    Communal violence had broken out in northeast Delhi on February 24 last year after clashes between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.