Delhi riots: Court grants police 10-day custody of Umar Khalid

Producing Khalid before Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat through video conferencing, police told the court that they wanted to confront Khalid with documents running into 11-lakh pages.

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Umar Khalid at a protest site. (Express file photo/Ashish Kale)

A Delhi court has granted the Delhi Police 10-day police custody of former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Umar Khalid, who was arrested on Sunday under UAPA charges in a case related to the riots in northeast Delhi in February this year.

Earlier in the day, the police’s Special Cell summoned filmmakers Rahul Roy and Saba Dewan, asking them to join the investigation on Monday in connection with the riots. Roy and Dewan have been summoned as police claim to have found their links with some students’ outfit, and with a WhatsApp group called the ‘Delhi Protests Support Group (DPSG)’.

Producing Khalid before Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat through video conferencing, police told the court that they wanted to confront Khalid with documents running into 11-lakh pages. ASJ Rawat has reserved the order in the case.

Opinion | Nearly seven months after Delhi violence, a continuing attempt to target dissenting voices

Granting Khalid’s custody, ASJ Rawat observed, “Considering the nature of the case and role of the accused Umar Khalid that has surfaced so far regarding the conspiracy and involvement in anti-CAA/NPR/NRC protest, with the support of several radical groups/organisations, resulting in riots and the fact that custodial interrogation has been sought of the accused Umar Khalid for confronting with huge technical data as well as material that has come during investigation, I deem it fit that, for having an effective and proper investigation, to allow the present application for seeking police custody remand of the accused Umar Khalid for a period of 10 days.”

The court has directed the police to medically examine Khalid every 24 hours. He will be allowed to consult his lawyers for 30 minutes at the beginning of the police custody and, thereafter, daily during his remand while the police personnel remain outside within audible range.

The police have been told to ensure Khalid’s safety during the remand period.

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Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad, who appeared on behalf of the Delhi Police, asked for 10 days of police custody and said, “There is some pointing out which has to be done. We need to confront him with the documents.”

Trideep Pais, who appeared on behalf of Khalid, said police have stated no specific reasons for the remand.

Pais told the court that Khalid was called for questioning for five hours on July 31, and around 12 hours on Sunday. “What is their case? This application does not even say they want to confront him; they want to make (up) stuff as they go along. Whether it is a speech which provokes or not — isn’t it incumbent to say when did he speak, where did he speak?”

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Pais read out a transcript of Khalid’s speech and told the court that this was not hate speech as alleged by the police. “Let’s see how callous they are… His Amravati speech is about peace. The prosecution only has empty rhetoric. There is no material evidence to back their claims.”

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Stating that even he was against the CAA-NRC, Pais told the court, “Between 22 to 26 February, he (Khalid) was not even in Delhi… Even I am against the CAA, that is not a crime. What is the crime Umar is said to have committed? It is public knowledge that people have been pressured to give statements in police custody, including against the accused. They say he protested. Everyone protested. They called him for 12 hours (of) questioning yesterday, they must have got something… This application is not worth even a one-day custody.”

Prasad, while addressing Pais’s claim that no specific reasons were given in the remand application, told the court, “Under the UAPA, sanctity of the investigation has to be maintained therefore a lot of disclosures are not given…”

Anand Mohan J

Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the bureau’s coverage of Madhya Pradesh. With a career spanning over eight years, he has established himself as a trusted voice at the intersection of law, internal security, and public policy. Based in Bhopal, Anand is widely recognized for his authoritative reporting on Maoist insurgency in Central India. In late 2025, he provided exclusive, ground-level coverage of the historic surrender of the final Maoist cadres in Madhya Pradesh, detailing the backchannel negotiations and the "vacuum of command" that led to the state being declared Maoist-free. Expertise and Reporting Beats Anand’s investigative work is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, holding institutions accountable through deep-dive analysis of several key sectors: National Security & Counter-Insurgency: He is a primary chronicler of the decline of Naxalism in the Central Indian corridor, documenting the tactical shifts of security forces and the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres. Judiciary & Legal Accountability: Drawing on over four years of experience covering Delhi’s trial courts and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Anand deconstructs complex legal rulings. He has exposed critical institutional lapses, including custodial safety violations and the misuse of the National Security Act (NSA). Wildlife Conservation (Project Cheetah): Anand is a leading reporter on Project Cheetah at Kuno National Park. He has provided extensive coverage of the biological and administrative hurdles of rewilding Namibian and South African cheetahs, as well as high-profile cases of wildlife trafficking. Public Health & Social Safety: His recent investigative work has uncovered systemic negligence in public services, such as contaminated blood transfusions causing HIV infections in thalassemia patients and the human cost of the fertilizer crisis affecting rural farmers. Professional Background Tenure: Joined The Indian Express in 2017. Locations: Transitioned from the high-pressure Delhi City beat (covering courts, police, and labor issues) to his current role as a regional lead in Madhya Pradesh. Notable Investigations: * Exposed the "digital arrest" scams targeting entrepreneurs. Investigated the Bandhavgarh elephant deaths and the impact of kodo millet fungus on local wildlife. Documented the transition of power and welfare schemes (like Ladli Behna) in Madhya Pradesh governance. Digital & Professional Presence Author Profile: Anand Mohan J at Indian Express Twitter handle: @mohanreports ... Read More

Mahender Singh Manral

Mahender Singh Manral is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. He is known for his impactful and breaking stories. He covers the Ministry of Home Affairs, Investigative Agencies, National Investigative Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Agencies, Paramilitary Forces, and internal security. Prior to this, Manral had extensively reported on city-based crime stories along with that he also covered the anti-corruption branch of the Delhi government for a decade. He is known for his knack for News and a detailed understanding of stories. He also worked with Mail Today as a senior correspondent for eleven months. He has also worked with The Pioneer for two years where he was exclusively covering crime beat. During his initial days of the career he also worked with The Statesman newspaper in the national capital, where he was entrusted with beats like crime, education, and the Delhi Jal Board. A graduate in Mass Communication, Manral is always in search of stories that impact lives. ... Read More

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