Khalid’s attorney claims that police are chanting his name nonstop

On Wednesday, former JNU student Umar Khalid stated to a Delhi court that in order to ascertain if a terror case has been brought against him, the court must question every witness and review every document while considering his bail request.

Judge Sameer Bajpai of the Court of Additional Sessions was hearing bail arguments in the broader conspiracy case pertaining to the 2020 Delhi riots.

Senior barrister Trideep Pais, who represents Khalid, told the court that the Delhi Police was using his name like a mantra in the chargesheet and that he was the target of a brutal media campaign.

The Special Public Prosecutor claims that I was the storyteller. Is messaging someone on WhatsApp illegal or a terrorist act? Can the judge see how absurd the prosecution’s tactics to keep someone incarcerated are? I’m forwarding a message that someone is wrongfully jailed; is that wrong? No, Khalid’s attorney said.

Is it improper for me to disclose that he was about to be arrested? Is there a limit on how many individuals I can message? Why is it that an accused cannot inform another person of news? This is the true story, according to Khalid’s attorney.

The defence lawyer was refuting the Delhi Police’s claim that Khalid was fabricating stories on social media to influence bail decisions.
The prosecution had previously told the court that information obtained from Khalid’s cell phone showed that he was in contact with actors, politicians, activists, and other celebrities, sending them links to news portals and other content and asking them to share it on social media to further establish a certain narrative.

Khalid’s attorney said that 75% of the group members were not charged, reiterating that belonging to a WhatsApp group was not a terrorist act.