Delhi Court Grants Bail to 9 IYC Activists Arrested During AI Summit Protest
Pre-trial detention deemed unnecessary, court emphasizes right to liberty
NEW DELHI, Mar 2: A Delhi court on Sunday granted bail to nine Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers arrested for their “shirtless” protest during the AI Summit, describing their actions as symbolic political critique rather than a threat to public order. Judicial Magistrate First Class Ravi noted that pre-trial detention in this case could amount to “illicit pre-emptive punishment.”
The nine accused Krishna Hari, Narshimha Yadav, Kundan Kumar Yadav, Ajay Kumar Singh, Jitendra Singh Yadav, Raja Gurjar, Ajay Kumar Vimal alias Bantu, Saurabh Singh, and Arbaz Khan had participated in a protest at the summit on February 20. They wore or held white T-shirts displaying images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, along with slogans such as “India-US Trade Deal,” “Epstein Files,” and “PM is compromised.”
The court observed, “The protest, at highest, constituted symbolic political critique during a public event: T-shirts with leadership imagery, non-inciteful slogans bereft of communal or regional bias, and transient assembly. No evidence discloses property damage or panic among delegates; the exit was orderly via escort.”
Delhi Police had opposed bail, arguing that the protesters attacked personnel while raising slogans critical of the India-US trade deal in the presence of international media. Medical records reportedly showed police personnel sustained injuries during the scuffle.
However, the court emphasized that the detention was not essential for investigation and stressed that liberty is the governing principle, with incarceration being the exception.
The bail order highlights the judiciary’s recognition of peaceful dissent as a fundamental democratic right, even when expressed in unconventional forms.
