By Tribune News Service
Activist Umar Khalid’s counsel argued before the Delhi High Court on Thursday that merely being a part of WhatsApp groups should not be used to assign criminality to him.
The defense also accused the police of equating protests and meetings with terrorism while arguing for bail in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) case linked to the February 2020 Delhi riots.
Senior advocate Trideep Pais, representing Khalid, made his submissions before a Bench comprising Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur. The court is set to hear the bail pleas of other co-accused, including Sharjeel Imam, on March 4.
Countering the prosecution’s claim that Khalid created “communal” WhatsApp groups to mobilise and instigate students for a “disruptive” chakka jam (blockades), Pais stated that he was not even an active participant in those groups.
“I have been added to the groups. I have not posted a single message. I am not even chatting. I have been roped in by somebody. Merely being in a group is not an indicator of any criminal wrong,” he argued.
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