Umar Khalid, along with several others, has been booked under UAPA in the case for being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 riots. File

A Delhi court on Thursday reserved its order on the bail plea of former JNU student Umar Khalid in a case of a larger conspiracy in connection with Delhi riots during February 2020.

Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat said that the order on the bail plea of Mr. Khalid would be pronounced on March 14.

During the argument, the accused told the court that the prosecution lacked the evidence to prove its case against him.

Mr. Khalid, along with several others, has been booked under the anti-terror law — Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) — in the case for being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 riots, which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

The violence had erupted during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Besides Mr. Khalid, activist Khalid Saifi, JNU students Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, Jamia Coordination Committee members Safoora Zargar, former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and several others have also been booked under the stringent law in the case.

This article first appeared on thehindu.com