In a dramatic midnight hearing held at her private residence, a Duty Magistrate at Patiala House Court granted bail to Udai Bhanu Chib, the President of the Indian Youth Congress. The decision followed a tense legal standoff after Chib was produced before the judge at approximately 12:30 AM, marking the end of his initial four-day stint in police custody.
Chib had been detained in connection with the controversial AI Summit protest. Despite a push from the Delhi Police Crime Branch to extend his remand by a further seven days, Duty Magistrate Vanshika Mehta turned down the request, opting instead to allow his release on a bail bond of ₹50,000.
The hearing was shrouded in urgency and a degree of confusion. Advocate Rupesh Singh Bhadauria, representing Chib, described a "panic" after receiving shifting timelines from the authorities.
"We received a message at midnight saying he’d be produced at 6 AM, only to be told at 12:30 AM that it would actually be 1 AM but then the hearing eventually began at 1:30 AM," Bhadauria told the media.
The court's bail order was clear: the police had failed to provide a compelling justification for keeping the Youth Congress leader behind bars any longer. As part of his release conditions, Chib has been ordered to surrender both his passport and his electronic devices to the court.
Another point of contention throughout the trial has been the actual involvement of Chib in the protest rally. During the previous trial held on February 24, the court had observed
The case diary of the police itself had shown that Chib had not been physically present at the protest rally.
It was also claimed by the prosecution that he was in constant touch with other accused individuals.
The police had claimed that the sovereignty of the nation had been compromised, but the court had observed that these were general statements which did not warrant "prolonged custody."
Chib's legal team, including advocates Mohammed Sulaiman and Chitwan Godara, successfully argued that the four days already served were more than sufficient for the investigating agency to gather necessary information.
"The Crime Branch could not explain why they needed him for another week," Sulaiman noted. "The court agreed that the agency must rationalise its requirements rather than simply asking for indefinite time."
With the Magistrate's refusal to grant the seven-day extension, Chib now walks free, though the investigation into the AI Summit Protest remains ongoing.
Also read: IYC stir at AI summit: BJYM holds protest, seeks Rahul’s apology
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