A Delhi court has extended the judicial custody of Indian Youth Congress (IYC) national president Uday Bhanu Chib. Chib was arrested for a shirtless protest at the India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam. The Patiala House Court extended his custody and directed the Delhi Police to verify his bail surety by 2 p.m. the next day.
The Delhi High Court recently stayed a sessions court order that had halted Chib’s bail, reinstating the magistrate’s order granting him relief. Once the formalities are completed, Chib is expected to be released from jail on Tuesday. Justice Saurabh Banerjee of the Delhi High Court questioned the sessions court’s decision to grant an interim stay without clear justification.
Senior advocates Salman Khurshid and Siddharth Luthra, representing Chib, argued against the sessions court’s interference with the bail order. Additional Solicitor General D.P. Singh defended the interim stay, stating detailed reasons were not necessary. The Delhi High Court observed that the sessions court’s stay lacked elaboration on the exceptional circumstances.
Chib’s arrest stemmed from a protest at Bharat Mandapam during the India AI Impact Summit and Expo 2026. He was accused of being the “main conspirator” behind an unlawful assembly that attempted to incite a riot-like situation. The protest led to a political dispute, with the BJP criticizing it as damaging India’s global reputation, while the Congress viewed it as a peaceful expression of democratic dissent.
