PANAJI
Former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Justice (Retd) A P Shah, on Friday questioned the continued imprisonment of former JNU student leader Umar Khalid, saying prolonged detention of political dissenters under stringent laws raised concerns over personal liberty.
Speaking at a lecture on “Guardians of the Republic: The Judiciary’s Role in Protecting Civil Liberties”, organised by the Goa High Court Bar Association, Justice Shah said the principle that “bail is the rule and jail is the exception” had been weakened by laws such as the UAPA and PMLA.
He said these laws had effectively turned imprisonment into punishment before trial. Referring to Khalid, who is facing trial under the UAPA, Justice Shah said he had remained in prison for seven years, while some convicted of serious crimes secured bail or remission sooner. His remarks came days after Goa Police questioned two activists over “Free Umar Khalid” placards at a NEET paper leak protest before releasing them.
