Waris Pathan criticizes prolonged detention of Umar Khalid

AIMIM national spokesperson and lawyer Waris Pathan has criticized the prolonged imprisonment of activist Umar Khalid, describing his years of detention without a trial as an ‘injustice’. Pathan argued that Khalid and co-accused Sharjeel Imam have been in custody for approximately six years, which he characterized as ‘conviction before trial’.

Invoking the legal principle that ‘bail is the rule, jail is the exception’, Pathan called for the trial to proceed so the accused can present evidence and receive a formal decision. He further alleged that Khalid’s religious identity may be a factor in the repeated denial of bail.

These remarks follow comments from Karnataka Congress Chief B. K. Hariprasad, who referred to Khalid as a ‘nationalist’ and criticized opposition to a proposed documentary screening about the activist at the National Law School of India University in Bengaluru.