Nine IYC workers get bail in ‘Shirtless’ protest at AI event

A Delhi court has granted bail to nine Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers arrested in connection with a “shirtless” protest at an AI summit in the national capital, observing that their actions amounted to symbolic political dissent and that pre-trial detention would be unjustified.

Judicial Magistrate First Class Ravi passed the order on Sunday while allowing the bail pleas of Krishna Hari, Narshimha Yadav, Kundan Kumar Yadav, Ajay Kumar Singh, Jitendra Singh Yadav, Raja Gurjar, Ajay Kumar Vimal alias Bantu, Saurabh Singh and Arbaz Khan.

In his order, the magistrate said the protest, at its highest, constituted symbolic political critique during a public event. The court noted that there was no evidence of property damage or defacement at the venue, nor any material to suggest panic among delegates. It also observed that the protesters exited in an orderly manner under police escort and that continued custodial interrogation was not required for the investigation.

The court further held that pre-trial detention, in the absence of compelling necessity or ongoing investigative demands, could amount to “illicit pre-emptive punishment” before conviction. Such detention, it said, would run contrary to the fundamental principles of criminal jurisprudence, where liberty is the norm and incarceration the exception.

Opposing the bail pleas, Delhi Police argued that while the Constitution guarantees the right to peaceful protest, it is subject to reasonable restrictions under article 19 . The police alleged that the accused raised slogans against the India-US trade deal in the presence of international media and attacked police personnel when restrained, causing injuries supported by medical evidence.

The incident occurred on February 20 when the IYC workers allegedly entered the summit venue wearing or holding white T-shirts printed with images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former US President Donald Trump, along with slogans such as “India-US Trade Deal”, “Epstein Files” and “PM is compromised”. They were later detained following a scuffle with security and police personnel.