Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam's custody extended till 20th Nov

New Delhi:A Delhi Court extended the judicial custody of  former JNU student leader Umar Khalid, who has been arrested for alleged connection in Delhi riots, till November 20.

However, the court of Justice Randhir Jaswal directed the Jail Superintendent to treat Khalid as "normal prisoners" with no solitary confinement or restriction in moving.

The court also asked the jail head to provide books and warm clothes which have been sought by the JNU student.

The directions came on allegations that Khalid has been kept in solitary confinement and not been allowed to meet anyone.In Friday's hearing, the Delhi police moved an application for extension of the judicial custody, which was accepted by the court.

Khalid had told the court he was in a sort of solitary confinement in the last hearing. "I have not been allowed to step outside at all. I am alone in my cell. No one is allowed to meet me. It is practically sort of [a] solitary confinement," Khalid had told Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat.

Noting, the assertion from the student activist, the court had asked the Jail Superintendent to also appear in the courtroom.

Advocate Trideep Pais representing Khalid said his client was kept "like an animal in a zoo".The Superintendent, however, rejected the allegations and said Khalid was allowed to move out of his cell like others. 

The court inquired about the timings when the cells were unlocked and asked Khalid whether he was allowed to move during that time.

The former JNU scholar replied that he was only allowed when the matter came into limelight but still his durations inside the cells are long in comparison to other prisoners.

The court issued an order to treat Khalid equally and provide the things for which court has given permission.Khalid was arrested on September 13 night on the charge of conspiring to engineer communal violence in Delhi. He has booked under several sections of IPC including the stringent sedition charge.

Besides, notorious for his "Chicken Neck" remark Sharjeel Imam's custody was too extended to November 20th.He is facing charges of delivering anti-Assam speeches at the Shaheen Bagh anti-CAA agitation, allegedly calling on the people to cut-off Assam from rest of the country. 

He is also facing similar sedition and other charges, and was arrested on January 28 by a Delhi police team.

Few month ago Official sources confirmed that Sharjeel was among the inmates detected with the novel coronavirus.Sharjeel was brought to Guwahati from New Delhi on February 20 and has since been in Assam Police custody and lodged at the central jail here.(UNI)