According to the police, the protest was not spontaneous, but executed after prior planning and had a structured allocation of roles, concealment tactics and coordinated post-incident movement. In total, 14 people, all members and office-bearers of the IYC, had been arrested in the case. Five remain in custody.A Delhi court on Sunday granted bail to nine India Youth Congress (IYC) workers and dismissed the bail plea of another in connection to a ‘shirtless’ protest at the India AI Impact Summit on February 20.While opposing the bail pleas, the Delhi Police stated that the protest was deliberately held at the summit and not at designated protest sites like Jantar Mantar, adding that their shirts read: “India compromised with America”.The counsel for the accused stated that they had been interrogated for nine days and that their custody wasn’t required anymore. It was also stated that there was neither a risk of the accused fleeing the country nor of them tampering with evidence.According to the Delhi Police, the accused had allegedly raised anti-national slogans in the presence of international media. It was further claimed that police personnel who tried to stop them were attacked. The slogans had been allegedly raised to “tarnish the country’s image”.On February 20, a group of men reached Bharat Mandapam wearing jackets and sweaters. Underneath, they wore T-shirts with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s picture printed on them. They allegedly removed the jackets and sweaters and started raising slogans.According to the police, the protest was not spontaneous, but executed after prior planning and had a structured allocation of roles, concealment tactics and coordinated post-incident movement. In total, 14 people, all members and office-bearers of the IYC, had been arrested in the case. Five remain in custody.Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023. Professional Background Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University. Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories. Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts. Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials. Recent notable articles In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories. 1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey. 2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation. 3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police. Signature Style Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public. X (Twitter): @Nirbhaya99 ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:New Delhi