Hate Speech: No relief for Umar Khalid yet, matter will now be heard on July 4

The Delhi High Court today, while hearing the appeal filed by Umar Khalid with reference to  February 2020 speech made by him as an  at Amravati, said that the speech, was certainly in bad taste…talking things which were inappropriate but that does not make it an act of  terror.

A division bench that had  Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar were hearing the appeal filed by Umar Khalid challenging the Trial Court’s order refusing him bail in the case.

The bench said, “The speech is in bad taste, but it does not make it a terrorist act. We understand that extremely well.

:….Offensive and distasteful it was. It may tantamount to defamation, other offences, but it does not tantamount to a terrorist activity.’said the bench

This point came when the advocate of Umar Khalid began to refer the allegation that was cast during the speech that was given by the student leader on 17 February 2020.

It is very important to note that the bench had found the speech to be very obnoxious, hateful , offensive in nature. The bench clearly put forward the point that the speech cannot be accepted in any case.

While the hearing was in progress today, the senior advocate Trideepp  Pais was assisted by Advocate Sanya Kumar who read all the statements from the witnesses to show the court that the meeting in Seelampur was not at all a secret meeting as alleged.

The advocate said that all the protected witnesses namely Sierra, Smith, Echo, Delta and Gama do not in any part of their statement mention word like secret meeting.

The advocate Kumar gave numerous other evidences like call detail of co- accused Natasha Narwal which showed that she was also not present at Seelampur on the date in question.. Kumar also highlighted the other incongruencies that the statements given by protected witnesses had.

An important point by the counsel was that why would Umar Khalid and other persons including co accused persons regarding the alleged secret meeting in Seelampur will post anything in Facebook.

The matter is now to be heard by a bench on July 4 at 2:15 PM and the counsel wants this to be final or the concluding hearing in the case.