‘Welcome to Viksit Bharat…’ Minister Priyank Kharge takes dig after Umar Khalid denied bail

NEW DELHI: After the Supreme Court denied bail to Umar Khalid, Congress leader and Minister Priyank Kharge on Monday took a dig at the country’s judicial system, alleging that in ‘Viksit Bharat’, bail is granted to alleged rapists, but not to people raising their voices.

In a post on X, Priyank Kharge shared that the bail was granted to Kuldeep Singh Sengar, Asaram Bapu, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and Brij Bhusan Sharan Singh. All of them are accused of different rape cases.

In contrast, Priyank Kharge said that bail has been denied to Umar Khalid, Sonam Wangchuk, Sagar Ghorke and Ramesh Ghaichor. All of them, he believed, are in jail for “raising their voices” against the government.

Welcome to #ViksitBharat where you are jailed for raising your voice and get a bail for being a rapist. pic.twitter.com/UxJvdX0y6M

— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) January 5, 2026

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala however took a jibe at the Congress after the two were denied bail. “Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam were not merely receiving sympathies from the Congress and its ecosystem, but also letters from abroad. Not only has the bail been rejected, but the Supreme Court has also observed that the crimes committed – including charges of terrorism and burning Delhi – prima facie appear valid,” he said.

LIVE: BJP National Spokesperson Dr. @SudhanshuTrived & Shri @Shehzad_Ind jointly address a press conference at party headquarters in New Delhi. https://t.co/YhJXhVSksv

— BJP (@BJP4India) January 5, 2026

Another party spokesperson, Pradeep Bhandari claimed that the court judgment was a slap on the face of the Congress and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi.

“The anti-national ‘Tukde Tukde Brigade’ supported by Muslim League Maowadi Congress: Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam Bail stands rejected. Supreme Court said -” All accused cannot be treated on same qualitative footing” This is also a big slap on the face of Rahul Gandhi, and Congress party which backed this ‘Tukde Tukde Lobby’,” he said.

This comes after the Supreme Court on Monday denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in a case pertaining to an alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 north-east Delhi riots. However, the SC granted bail to Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmad.

The Court noted that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam stand on a “qualitatively different footing” both in terms of prosecution and evidence. It noted that their roles were “central” to the alleged offences. As regards these two, though the period of incarceration is continued and long, it does not violate the Constitutional mandate or override the statutory embargo under the laws.

Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others were arrested in January 2020 under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the Delhi riots case in February 2020. The violence had erupted during the protests against the then-proposed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. (ANI)