Delhi's Karkardooma court has discharged student activist Umar Khalid and United Against Hate member Khalid Saifi in a case in connection with the 2020 North East Delhi riots. In the Indian Penal Code, the Discharge Application is the remedy granted to the person who has been maliciously charged.
Khalid, a former JNU students' union leader, was arrested by the Delhi police in September 2020 after being accused of stone-pelting in connection with the violence that erupted in the Khajuri Khas area of northeast Delhi.
The Delhi Police had argued that Khalid's speech was a "very calculated" move as he mentioned topics like Babri Masjid, triple talaq, Kashmir, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
According to the FIR against Khalid and Saifi in the stone-pelting case, AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, Khalid Saifi and Umar Khalid had conspired to plan the riot during their meeting on January 8 at Shaheen Bagh.
“He (Tahir Hussain) was found connected to Khalid Saifi and Khalid who are part of a larger group of persons who were organising riots and protests in Delhi," the chargesheet read.
However, Khalid argued that there was no material evidence to support the argument, which was based on his Amravati speech in February 2020.
Though Khalid and Saifi have been discharged in this case, on which they were on bail, they will continue to be in judicial custody in the Delhi riots larger conspiracy case. In this case ( FIR 59/2020) the duo faces charges of rioting and criminal conspiracy and a Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) has also been invoked against them.
