Umar Khalid<\/a>, after the Supreme Court of India denied his bail application. Sharing a modified excerpt from Maya Angelou\u2019s celebrated poem \u201cStill I Rise”, Moitra titled her post \u201cYou Will Rise, Umar Khalid”, a move that has reignited the political debate surrounding the 2020 Delhi riots.<\/p>\nThe Supreme Court\u2019s decision on Monday brought a mixed conclusion to a long-awaited legal battle. While a bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria granted bail to five other co-accused\u2014including Gulfisha Fatima and Meeran Haider\u2014it refused relief to Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. The court reasoned that Khalid and Imam occupied a \u201cqualitatively different footing” in the alleged \u201clarger conspiracy” behind the riots. The judges observed that the material presented by the prosecution prima facie indicated a central, formative role in planning and strategic mobilisation that went beyond localised acts of protest.<\/p>\n
Umar Khalid has been in custody for over five years under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), a law that makes the granting of bail exceptionally difficult. Following the verdict, Khalid\u2019s partner, Banojyotsna Lahiri, shared his poignant reaction, quoting him as saying, \u201cAb yahi zindagi hai” (this is life now), though he expressed relief for those who were released.<\/p>\n
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) responded to the support for Khalid and Imam and subsequent campus protests with sharp criticism. National spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala labelled the support system for Khalid an \u201canti-India urban naxal gang”, accusing the Congress, the Left, and their \u201cecosystem” of prioritising vote-bank politics over national security.<\/p>\n
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