Delhi Court Restores Umar Khalid's Two Weekly Family Video Calls

A Delhi court in New Delhi has ordered the restoration of jailed activist Umar Khalid’s facility of two weekly video calls with his family. Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai passed the order on July 13, allowing Khalid to resume the two weekly "e-mulakats" that had been curtailed by prison authorities.

The court's decision came after Khalid filed a plea challenging the reduction of his video call sessions. According to the activist, the facility of holding two video meetings per week had been abruptly reduced to just one session a week starting in May 2026. This curtailment occurred despite Khalid having committed no violations of the prison rules.

In his submission to the court, Khalid stated that he had been permitted to have two weekly video meetings for the past six years during his incarceration. He argued that the sudden change in May 2026 was unjustified and sought the restoration of the earlier arrangement.

Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai accepted Khalid's plea. In the order, the judge noted that Khalid had consistently availed of the two weekly e-mulakats since he was first jailed. The court found that there was no valid justification for prison authorities to reduce the number of weekly calls.

The court emphasized that Khalid had adhered to all regulations during his time in prison. The judge stated that since the applicant has been using two e-mulakats in a week for the last six years and has not violated any rule of the Delhi Prisons Rules, the applicant is allowed to have two e-mulakats per week.

With the court's order, Khalid is now permitted to resume the two weekly video meetings. The sessions are used by the jailed activist for the purpose of talking to his mother and other family members.