Former JNU student leader Umar Khalid on Thursday told a Delhi court that witness statements recorded by the police in the riots conspiracy case were “fabricated”.
Mr. Khalid and several others have been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), a stringent anti-terror law, and are accused of being the “masterminds” of the riots which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.
Arguing his bail plea before Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat, senior advocate Trideep Pais, representing Mr. Khalid, said that the witness statements were “inconsistent with each other, and will not stand the test of law.”
He read out a statement of one of the witnesses and said, “Even a 12-year-old would know this is a fabrication. They (prosecution) should be ashamed. Not even a shred of physical evidence.”
Mr. Pais added, “I recently watched a movie called ‘The Trial of Chicago 7’ where witnesses of the State had already planned to be the witnesses of the State.” The lawyer was addressing the allegation levelled by the police against Mr. Khalid that he and his father were present at a protest organized by the Welfare Party of India at Jantar Mantar, wherein children and women were taken in buses.
‘How is that an offence?’
“I am not even admitting to that but advocacy that persons should protest against CAA, how is that an offence?" he said and concluded his arguments. He had begun his arguments on the bail plea on August 23.
Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad will commence the arguments on the behalf of police on January 5, 2022. The Delhi Police had earlier said that the bail plea has no merit and that it will demonstrate the prima facie case against him before the court by referring to the charge sheet filed in the case.
