New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday has granted bail to nine Youth Congress workers who were arrested for protesting during the AI Summit held in the national capital. The Patiala House Court ruled that the act constituted political dissent expressed at a public event and did not amount to organized violence or serious criminal conduct.
Judicial Magistrate First Class Ravi ordered the release of Krishna Hari, Narasimha Yadav, Kundan Kumar Yadav, Ajay Kumar Singh, Jitendra Singh Yadav, Raja Gurjar, Ajay Kumar Vimal alias Bantu, Saurabh Singh and Arbaz Khan. In its order, the court stated that the protest was a symbolic expression of political criticism. It observed that there was no material on record to indicate damage to property or the creation of panic among public representatives present at the venue. The court also noted that security personnel escorted the protesters out in a controlled manner.
The magistrate emphasized that keeping the accused in prolonged custody without the need for further investigation would infringe upon their right to personal liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution. The court said that decisions on interim bail must be guided by established legal principles focused on safeguarding pre-trial freedom rather than assumptions of guilt. It rejected the police argument that opposed bail at this stage.
Police have so far arrested 14 individuals in connection with the incident. The accused have been charged with breaching security arrangements and allegedly raising anti-national slogans at the event site.
However, the court pointed out that none of the charges invoked against them carry a maximum punishment exceeding seven years of imprisonment. It also declined to accept the contention that possible sentences under different sections could be combined to justify continued detention.
The protest took place on February 20, when members of the Indian Youth Congress reportedly entered the AI Summit venue wearing or carrying white T-shirts featuring images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump. The T-shirts displayed slogans including “India-US Trade Deal,” “Epstein Files,” and “PM is Compromised.” During the incident, there were allegations of a scuffle with security staff, and slogans were raised against the Prime Minister and government policies.
