Did Umar Khalid's Lawyers Seek Adjournment 7 Times in SC?

September 06, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

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A video clip of a six-month-old interview featuring former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud talking about the delay in Umar Khalid’s Supreme Court bail proceedings went viral a day after the Delhi High Court denied him bail in the 2020 Delhi Riots case. 

Ex-CJI is heard claiming Umar Khalid sought adjournment and withdrew his bail plea seven times in the Supreme Court. But, is this claim true? Find out in this edition.

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The Claim: Viral video of ex-CJI DY Chandrachud claiming “Umar Khalid himself sought adjournment & withdrew his bail plea 7 times.” 

What We Found

  • In May 2023, ex-JNU student activist Umar Khalid moved the Supreme Court appealing against the October 2022 Delhi High Court denying him bail. 

  • BOOM’s Ritika Jain found that the matter came up 13 times before multiple judges between May 18, 2023, and February 14, 2024, when Khalid withdrew all pleas from the Supreme Court. 

  • A study of the case proceedings revealed that Khalid’s lawyers asked for an adjournment twice and not seven times (or more) as stated by former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud in a podcast interview with Barkha Dutt.

  • On July 24, Khalid’s lawyer N Sai Vinod sought an adjournment “due to personal reasons”. BOOM could verify that this deferment was on health grounds. 

  • On September 5, senior advocate Kapil Sibal sought to postpone the matter since he was busy before the five-judge constitution bench matters led by then-CJI DY Chandrachud.

DECODE

How The Internet Is Playing Detective In The Nikki Bhati Case

Instagram reels turned the death of 28-year-old Nikki Bhati into a viral investigation. 

The Evidence Ecosystem: In a week since Nikki died on August 21, 2025, evidence went viral before reaching court, hashtags  determined guilt or innocence, and police officers found themselves competing with social media algorithms for control of the narrative. 

"At this point, social media seems to have more evidence and investigative insights," admitted a police officer investigating the case, speaking anonymously to Nivedita Niranjankumar. 

When Platforms Become Police: While the police grapple with verifying evidence strewn around Instagram, YouTube and WhatsApp, experts say social media evidence, while increasingly common in Indian courts, carries significant verification challenges.

Ethanol Is Patriotism: How Influencers Are Selling Government Fuel Policy

“My husband thinks ethanol corrodes car engines—but that’s just a myth,” RJ Shonali tells her 2.5 lakh Instagram followers in a 50 seconds reel. What begins as playful banter about her partner's environmental concerns quickly morphs into something more calculated: a polished defense of India's ambitious Ethanol Blending Programme. 

This isn't just one creator's casual opinion. Across Instagram, a coordinated campaign is quietly unfolding, where influencers with millions of followers have become unlikely champions of government fuel policy. 

From radio jockeys to lifestyle bloggers, content creators are enthusiastically promoting E20—the 20% ethanol-petrol blend that India aims to roll out nationwide by 2025. Hera Rizwan reports.

SCAM CHECK

Scan At Your Own Risk: How QR Codes Trick You

What Is The QR Code Scam?: QR code scams happen when a seemingly harmless QR code redirects you to a fraudulent website, often to steal your payment details or download malware onto your device. Trusting convenience can come at a cost.

Dangers Of This Scam: You can’t preview the link attached to the QR code before scanning, so you might unknowingly land on a malicious site that looks authentic. 

How To Stay Safe 

  • Is the QR code from a trusted source? Check the preview link if your scanner allows it. 

  • Stick to official apps or websites for payments or product registration. 

  • Avoid scanning codes in public places if you’re unsure who put them there. 

  • When scanning QR codes, ensure you are connected to a private WiFi network or a trusted mobile data provider. Public Wi-Fi networks may be vulnerable to data interception.

'FAKE NEWS’ YOU ALMOST FELL FOR

🔍 Is video of US President Donald Trump stating that the recent floods in Pakistan were caused by India opening dams in Kashmir real? Find out in 🔗 Archis Chowdhury’s ↗️ fact-check.

🔍 An edited photo from China was shared on social media with the false claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was welcomed with a drone show during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. Read 🔗 Anmol Alphonso’s ↗️  fact-check.

🔍 An old video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi bidding farewell to Russian President Vladimir Putin during his 2024 visit to Moscow was shared on social media with the false claim that it is from the recently concluded SCO summit in Tianjin, China. 🔗 Anmol Alphonso ↗️ debunked the claim.

🅱️ RECOMMENDS

This week's recommendation is: In a lonely world, widespread AI chatbots and ‘companions’ pose unique psychological risks

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