Former JNU student Umar Khalid’s counsel told the Delhi court, “I was not present in the main meeting where I supposedly conspired,” citing call records to support his claim. The hearing on framing charges continues, with Khalid among 20 accused in the Special Cell investigation.
New Delhi: Former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Umar Khalid, accused in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots, appeared before a court here on Wednesday. During the hearing, Khalid’s lawyer strongly denied his client’s involvement in the alleged meeting that authorities claim was the basis of the larger conspiracy behind the riots.
“I was not present in the main meeting where I supposedly conspired,”
senior advocate Trideep Pais told Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai, emphasizing that the call detail records (CDRs) support Khalid’s claim of non-participation.
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The statement came while opposing the framing of charges against Khalid in the ongoing case.
Earlier, a protected witness had claimed that Khalid, along with other accused persons, had plotted the conspiracy during the said meeting. However, the defence argued that no material evidence or recoveries were found linking Khalid to the alleged conspiracy.
The lawyer further highlighted that there was no allegation against Khalid for raising or receiving any funds related to the larger conspiracy.
Last month, Khalid’s counsel had strongly criticized the FIR filed against him, saying that his client had already spent five years in custody in what he described as the “joke of an FIR”, which lacked the “sanctity of law”.
Khalid, who was arrested on September 13, 2020, is among twenty individuals named in the case.
The list of accused includes activists Sharjeel Imam, Khalid Saifi, and former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain, all allegedly involved in the broader plot to incite the riots. The investigation is being carried out by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police.
The court proceedings will continue on Thursday, where the arguments from both the prosecution and defence are expected to be presented in further detail.
This case continues to attract national attention as the legal debate revolves around the evidence, including call records and witness statements, that may or may not directly implicate Khalid in the larger conspiracy behind the Delhi riots of 2020.
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