Former JNU student and activist Umar Khalid has now spent four years in jail following his arrest in connection with the 2020 northeast Delhi communal riots. The 36-year-old researcher and scholar was arrested on September 13, 2020. While charge-sheets were filed in 2020 and 2022, the framing of charges has been repeatedly delayed.

His efforts to secure bail have consistently been denied by the courts. Khalid’s bail application has been pending before the Supreme Court since April 6, 2023, and the case has been adjourned 13 times for various reasons.

In our country, equality before the law is considered to be a constitutional right, ensuring that everyone is equal before the law. However, equality before the law means nothing if there is no equal treatment before the law, actor Swara Bhasker said.

“I want to share something. In the case where Umar is imprisoned, or one of the cases, there were several petitions filed, including mine. Because of the way NRC was handled and the protests, many of us were active in raising our voices. I was also involved. I remember tweeting about the attack on JNU and the violence against students.”

“By coincidence, I was born in a Hindu household. By coincidence, I was born into a forward family. By coincidence, I was born into a family that was educated in English medium. By coincidence, I was educated in English medium and can speak and write in English. By coincidence, I have worked in Bollywood films. Perhaps this is why those who arrested Umar and others in those cases thought it might be excessive to label a Hindu ex-naval officer and professor’s daughter as a terrorist. It might be inconvenient for our media,” she said during a scathing speech on systemic injustices.

“Before a bail hearing for Umar Khalid, the judge who was supposed to hear the case recused himself, saying he didn’t think he was capable of hearing the case. Why are you not capable? You must have had extensive education to become a judge. You’ve been earning your salary from our taxes. You live in government-built houses, also funded by our taxes. You enjoy a comfortable life from our taxes, so why do you have the right to recuse yourself from your responsibilities? Isn’t this a betrayal of the citizens of India?”

“You should read the case files, look at your books, check your constitution, and the IPC, and make your decision. You don’t have time for that.  Kapil Sibal asked for 20 minutes, and you don’t have 20 minutes to spare. Yet, you had plenty of time for Ganesh Puja with the honourable Prime Minister. Why don’t our judges have time to do their work? Ordinary citizens fear imprisonment and physical assault. Muslims can be beaten anywhere in this country, and Dalits can also be beaten anywhere. We might fear that we won’t get work, comedy shows, or that films will be banned. But you, with all your power and resources, what are you afraid of?”

“You have all the government machinery at your disposal. By the time you reach the Supreme Court or High Court, you are over 60 years old. Your children are grown, studying in expensive colleges, and have settled in universities. So, what fear or greed remains for you? Do you want a governor’s post or a seat in the Rajya Sabha? Is there so much greed in you that you can’t even do your job? We are only asking you to do your work. If this continues, the bloodstains will be on the face of our justice system and will also fall on you. So, from this platform, I appeal to you—don’t ask for too much. Just do your job. Four years is a long time.”

“It seems our justice system has forgotten how long these people have been in jail without bail or trial. Through this platform, I want to remind our justice system how long four years can be. Umar was arrested in September 2020. Since then, three waves of COVID have come and gone, with new variants emerging and treatments being discovered. Four years is a long time.”

“When Omar was arrested, I was friends with my husband. We were just friends back then. During those four years, our friendship grew stronger, and we fell in love. We met each other’s families, our families accepted our marriage, and we had a child who is now one year old. Four years is a long time.”

“The mainstream media, which has not reported accurately, and the independent and alternative media—people who work sincerely are appreciated. In these four years, the mainstream media ran a venomous campaign against Umar and others. This media has been exposed. They have sought new victims for media trials. Many Muslims were declared terrorists or traitors. Their hunger for blood, I would say, is a more fitting term, has become so out of control that it has extended beyond Muslims to Bollywood celebrities like Rhea Chakraborty and even Shah Rukh Khan’s son.”

“In these four years, the mainstream media has been exposed, and even though people still watch their videos and podcasts, the general public knows they are spreading lies. Four years have passed, and those who once wore 56-inch clothes now fit into normal sizes, and those who were going beyond 400 have been settled at 240.”

“In these four years, judges have given many speeches and elocution competitions, speaking about justice in various colleges and universities across the world. A convicted rapist, Ram Rahim, has received bail and parole multiple times. In Gujarat, people arrested under the MAA Act still haven’t had their trials begin. My statements today are to our justice system because the people in this room are either family members of the victims or are themselves victims of this injustice. The activists have spent their lives fighting this.”

“I want to address this conversation to our justice system through you. In our country, equality before the law is a constitutional right, but merely speaking about it or discussing it in books is not enough. Equality before the law means nothing without equal treatment before the law.”

“Often, people ask why I speak out so much, why I don’t stay silent and focus on my career in films. My answer is that I am free to live my life, celebrate my child’s birthday, and enjoy my privileges. It is my responsibility, using my privilege, to raise my voice against the oppression faced by others whose identities or names are different from mine.”