New Delhi: In a dramatic turn of events, Indian Youth Congress (IYC) President Uday Bhanu Chib was granted bail in a midnight hearing in the case related to the shirtless protest at the AI Summit but, within hours, the decision was put on hold till March 6 by another Delhi court on Saturday, a lawyer said.
While Judicial Magistrate First Class Vanshika Mehta had granted the IYC President bail at midnight noting that he was not a flight risk, a sessions court put curbs on his bail till March 6 on a plea filed by the Delhi Police on Saturday afternoon, a lawyer added.
The sessions court will take up the matter on March 6 and till then Chib is likely to remain in judicial custody.
While granting bail, the Patiala House Court’s duty magistrate had said that no person would be devoid of personal liberty on mere conjectures or primarily because the co-accused are yet to be arrested.
The magistrate granted bail to Chib on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and ordered him to surrender his passport and electronic gadgets to the court.
Just before the bail was granted by the Magistrate, the Delhi Police Crime Branch had filed an application in the court late Friday night seeking a seven-day extension of Chib’s police custody.
Following the defence lawyer’s bail application, the duty magistrate granted Chib relief and bail, saying that the Crime Branch failed to provide sufficient reasons for the extension of his remand.
The granting of bail to the IYC President by the magistrate around midnight was welcomed by the Congress on Saturday which claimed that “truth and justice have prevailed”.
However, by Saturday evening an interim curb was imposed on the IYC’s bail till March 6.
According to the grounds of arrest, Chib has been accused of being the main conspirator in organising an unlawful assembly on February 20 at the Bharat Mandapam during the AI Impact Summit and Expo 2026, where slogans were raised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and alleged attempts were made to incite a riot-like situation.
Chib was arrested after nearly 15 hours of questioning at the Tilak Marg police station in connection with the shirtless protest held on final day of the India AI Impact Summit.
The protest had triggered a political row after the Bharatiya Janata Party criticised the Congress demonstration as an attempt to tarnish India’s global image, while the Congress defended it as a peaceful protest reflecting concerns of the youth.
(IANS)
