Duty Magistrate Vanshika Mehta of the Patiala House Court had granted bail to Mr. Chib during an early morning hearing on February 28, citing that the protest was an instance of “political dissent” and bore no proximity to “recidivist violence” or “organised crime”. However, after the Delhi Police challenged the magistrate’s order, Additional Sessions Judge Amit Bansal stayed the bail hours later. On Monday (March 2, 2026), Justice Saurabh Banerjee of the Delhi High Court granted relief to Mr. Chib, noting that the sessions court stayed the bail “without application of mind” and “without giving any reasoning”. Read | AI Summit protest: Dramatic standoff between Delhi and Shimla police ends after 24 hours“The prosecution’s invocation of Article 19(2) — decrying the impact on ‘international relations’ — merits constitutional calibration. The Delhi Police opposed the bail pleas, contending that the IYC workers had raised slogans describing the India-U.S. trade deal as a “compromise” in the presence of international media.

Source: The Hindu March 02, 2026 15:09 UTC