At the closing debate of JLF, Pavan K Varma posed a question that had the crowd in an uproar. ‘Would you want to be in jail without bail,’ he said, referring to Umar Khalid.
‘If an expeditious trial is not possible, then bail should be the rule and not the exception,’ ex-CJI DY Chandrachud told Vir Sanghvi at a Jaipur Literature Festival session on Sunday.
In a session titled 'The Measure of Justice' at JLF 2026, lawyers Ashwani Kumar and Vrinda Grover and US judge Ketu Shah discussed the Indian constitutional, moral and legal crises.
Citing their role in 'larger conspiracy' behind the 2020 riots, the court denied Umar Khalid & Sharjeel Imam bail despite years of incarceration, taking a position that contrasts with several of its earlier rulings.
Meanwhile, JNU security head on behalf of university administration filed a police complaint at Vasant Kunj police station regarding the protest that took place Monday.
SC has granted bail to 5 other accused. It said Umar Khalid & Sharjeel Imam can renew their applications only after a year or upon completion of examination of protected witnesses.
SC’s explanation of 'terror' assumes significance in view of the argument advanced by Umar-Sharjeel's counsels that refusing the duo bail conflated dissent & protest with terrorist activity.
Other than the Left, there was no official statement from any other opposition party, even as some leaders including from Congress flayed SC order in their individual capacities.
While Amit Malviya termed ruling a reaffirmation of ‘judicial independence’, spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala targeted Congress, saying it ‘glorified Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam’.
With regional parties struggling to project a unified Opposition in Parliament, and no leader in Delhi able to mediate, Centre-state tensions are playing out as open conflict.
Instead of buying more Mirages outright in early 2000s, the requirement was tweaked in favour of a medium-weight, multi-role fighter with Mirage-like performance.
Pakistan not only has zero chance of catching up with India in most areas, but will inevitably see the gap rising. Its leaders will offer its people the same snake oil in different bottles.
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