Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib at Patiala House Court on Tuesday. (PTI)The Delhi High Court on Monday stayed a sessions court order that had halted the release of Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president Uday Bhanu Chib in relation to the shirtless protest at the AI Impact Summit on February 20.After being in police custody for four days, Chib was granted bail by a magistrate court on February 28, which also refused further police custody. The same day, the Delhi Police moved the sessions court challenging the order, and a sessions judge stayed the magistrate court’s order until the next hearing, scheduled for March 6. The move sent Chib to judicial custody instead of releasing him on bail.The sessions court, while staying the magistrate court order, had relied on the law laid down by a 2024 Supreme Court judgment in the case of Parvinder Singh Khurana versus Enforcement Directorate (ED), where it had held that “ex-parte stay of the bail order should not be granted” and the power be exercised “only in rare and very exceptional cases”.In a petition moved by Chib challenging the sessions court’s stay, Justice Saurabh Banerjee noted that while the SC’s precedent has been cited by the sessions court, “however the stay has been granted…without according as to what is the “…rare and very exceptional case…”” argument put forth by the sessions court to stay the magistrate’s order granting bail.Justice Banerjee went on to stay the sessions court order, which in effect brings the magistrate court’s order into effect, paving way for the IYC chief to be out on bail.During the hearing, addressing the prosecution, Justice Banerjee orally remarked, “Some application of mind has to be there. Why did it come to the conclusion that this was a rare and exceptional case…what is rare, what is exceptional?..Where an exception, rarity has been carved out,…then all the more reason (for the court to give its reasoning)..”While bail bonds have been filled out, the release warrant is expected to be executed only on Tuesday, said Chib’s lawyer Bhanu Malhotra.Story continues below this adThe magistrate court — Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Vanshika Mehta —while granting bail to Chib, had said, “No person shall be devoid of liberty on mere conjectures or primarily because the co-accused persons are yet to be arrested… to curtail liberty, a strong explanation must be put forth.”The IYC chief’s petition will next be heard on April 1.On February 20, at around noon, a group of men had entered Hall 7 of the summit at Bharat Mandapam wearing jackets and sweaters during the AI India Impact Summit. Underneath, they were wearing T-shirts with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s picture printed on them. They allegedly removed the jackets and sweaters and started raising “anti-national” slogans at the hall. Police have described Chib as the “main conspirator and mastermind” behind the protest.Police have alleged that the incident was not spontaneous but executed after prior planning and that their initial probe has revealed structured allocation of roles, concealment tactics and coordinated post-incident movement. Thirteen others, all members and office-bearers of IYC, have also been arrested in the case.Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More © The Indian Express Pvt Ltd