New Delhi, February 28 A Delhi court on Saturday issued a stay on the bail granted to Uday Bhanu Chib, president of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC), in connection with a protest at the India AI Impact Summit here, hours after a magistrate court granted him relief, stating that the right to life and liberty is the "soul of the Indian Constitution".
Additional Sessions Judge Amit Bansal issued the stay after the Delhi Police challenged the bail order by Duty Magistrate Vanshika Mehta, and listed the matter for further proceedings on March 6.
Chib was produced before the magistrate at around 1 am at her official residence after his four-day police custody, granted on February 24 following his arrest in connection with the February 20 'shirtless protest', came to an end.
The police sought a three-day extension of his custody, contending that further interrogation was required to ascertain the whereabouts of two co-accused.
Dismissing the plea, the magistrate court said that the right to life and liberty is the "soul of the Indian Constitution" and that to curtail liberty, a strong explanation or material evidence must be placed on record to show that denial of custody would impede the course of justice.
In a handwritten order, the magistrate said that the investigating officer was unable to provide cogent reasons for seeking further police custody.
"Whether or not someone is guilty is a matter for trial, and the law takes its own course to adjudicate such matters. However, what is relevant is whether the accused requires custody at this stage," the court said, noting that Chib has strong roots in society and is not a flight risk.
The magistrate observed that "no person shall be deprived of his liberty on mere conjectures" and reiterated that "bail is a rule and jail is an exception".
The court directed him to furnish a surety bond of Rs 50,000 and surrender his passport and electronic gadgets. Later on, the court also ordered verification of the documents and bonds submitted by him and said he would remain in judicial custody until Sunday morning.
However, Additional Sessions Judge Amit Bansal issued the stay on the bail order after the police challenged it.
On February 24, the court sent Chib to police custody for four days. He was to be questioned about his role in the protest held at Bharat Mandapam, during which IYC members took their shirts off to reveal slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre printed on their T-shirts underneath.
The Summit began on February 16 and saw packed halls and long queues throughout, as tech moguls, industry leaders and policymakers thronged the venue.
The protesters wore T-shirts bearing the images of Modi and United States President Donald Trump, with slogans against the government and the India-US trade deal.
The protesters also allegedly engaged in a protracted scuffle with the security personnel and police staff deployed at the venue.