Today, the Supreme Court bench including Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Bela M Trivedi adjourned the bail hearing of former JNU scholar and activist Umar Khalid until next week. He has been in jail since September 2020 in connection with the Delhi riots' larger conspiracy case. The order was passed today while hearing Umar Khalid’s Special Leave Petition against the Delhi High Court’s 2022 decision to deny him bail. During the court proceedings, the bench had to adjourn the hearing until next week's hearing of the case because the Senior Advocate representing Khalid, Kapil Sibal was not available.
SA Sibal was appearing before the Constitution bench for the pleas regarding the abrogation of Article 370. Umar Khalid’s bail plea hearing was earlier adjourned four times because of which the bench was reluctant to grant the same for the fifth time. Justice Trivedi, while expressing her unwillingness over the adjournment request by the counsel appearing for Khalid stated that “Mr Sibal is known to be busy. We do not wait for any particular senior counsel.” Despite its reluctance, the bench had to accept the adjournment request stating it as the ‘Last opportunity’.
Further, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court adjourned the bail hearing until next week.