Mr. Sibal plays in open court Mr. Umar Khalid’s February 17, 2020 speech delivered in Amravati, noting that Mr. Khalid speaks of responding to violence with peace and to hatred with love.
“How is this a violation of the UAPA?” Mr. Sibal asks.
Justice Kumar observes that, according to the Delhi Police, the allegation is that the speech contributed to the February 2020 riots, which resulted in 53 deaths and hundreds of injuries.
Mr. Sibal responds that Mr. Khalid was not even present when the riots occurred. “You cannot attribute someone else’s speech to me and say I am responsible for the riots,” he submits. “I ask myself, I am an academic in an institution. What can I do to overthrow the State?”
