NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has sent Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib to police custody for four days. Police arrested him on Monday night accusing him of being the “mastermind” of a shirtless protest at the India AI Impact Summit.The police asked for 7 days to question him. Judicial Magistrate Ravi, however, said that was “excessive” and granted custody till Feb 28. The court said “phrases such as ‘sovereignty of the State’ or ‘national security’ cannot, by themselves, justify prolonged police custody”. The court ruled that “a shorter period of police custody” would be enough for the investigation while also protecting the accused man’s rights.The judge also said Chib can meet his counsel during questioning, as allowed under the law, as long as it does not interfere with the investigation.Also in a separate order on the accused’s application for a copy of the FIR, Judge Ravi allowed the plea, observing that the “applicant cannot prepare defence without foundational document, causing irreparable prejudice.”The court held that withholding the FIR violated Section 230 of the BNSS and the safeguards under Article 21 of the Constitution. It added that giving a copy would not harm the investigation, especially now that the case has moved to the Crime Branch.The investigating officer had withheld the FIR copy on the ground that it was a sensitive matter, a justification the court found untenable.According to Delhi Police, Chib was the “main conspirator and mastermind” behind the February 20 protest at Bharat Mandapam. They say anti-national slogans were raised and an attempt was made to create a riot-like situation. Police claimed that, in conspiracy with Shree Krishna Hari, Kundan Yadav, Narsimha Yadav, Ajay Kumar Yadav and others, he obstructed and assaulted police officials on duty.Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastav argued that although Chib was not “physically present at the spot, he was in constant communication and monitoring developments”. He submitted that custodial interrogation was necessary to unravel the conspiracy, analyse digital evidence, trace funding for the protest, T-shirts and logistics, and recover remaining material.While Chib’s counsel opposed the claim, the court disagreed. “The material placed so far, prima facie indicate that the role attributed to the present accused is that of a person who operated from behind the scenes by giving directions and monitoring the protest,” Judge Ravi stated. It further observed that “at the stage of remand, such material cannot be discarded merely on the ground that the accused was not physically present at the place of occurrence,” adding that conspiracy and abetment can be executed even from a distance.At the AI Impact Summit on Feb 20, several men allegedly entered the venue wearing T-shirts bearing images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, along with slogans against the government and the India-US trade deal.
