New Delhi, March 2 (NationPress) A Delhi court has prolonged the judicial detention of Uday Bhanu Chib, the national president of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC), following his arrest over a shirtless protest that took place during the India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam. The Patiala House Court has extended his custody until Tuesday, instructing the Delhi Police to confirm his bail surety by 2 p.m. tomorrow and present their findings to the court.

This development follows a recent intervention by the Delhi High Court, which suspended a sessions court ruling that had delayed his bail, effectively reinstating the magistrate’s prior order that had granted him relief. Once all formalities are fulfilled, Chib is poised for release from jail on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Justice Saurabh Banerjee, leading a single-judge Bench, issued a notice to the Delhi Police, critiquing the sessions court’s ex parte interim stay for not clarifying the exceptional nature of the case. “While the stay aligns with legal precedents set by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, it lacks clarity on what makes this situation 'rare and very exceptional,'” remarked Justice Banerjee.

The order issued by the Delhi High Court stated, “Consequently, a stay on the sessions court order dated 28.02.2026 is enforced. This revives the magistrate’s order from the same date, allowing the petitioner to proceed in accordance with the law.”

During the proceedings, senior lawyers Salman Khurshid and Siddharth Luthra, representing Chib, contended that the sessions court had incorrectly intervened in a bail decision made by the duty magistrate, arguing that such interim orders are not subject to revision.

In response, Additional Solicitor General D.P. Singh argued that the sessions court's interim stay was appropriate during ongoing proceedings and that detailed justification for such an order was not obligatory. However, the Delhi High Court emphasized that the sessions court had issued a stay on the magistrate’s order “until further notice” while labeling the case as “rare and very exceptional” without providing further details.

This incident follows a dramatic late-night hearing at the Patiala House Court, where a duty magistrate had granted bail to Chib, asserting that personal liberty cannot be constrained based on mere speculation. However, shortly thereafter, a sessions court imposed a stay on the bail order following a plea from the Delhi Police, prompting Chib to appeal to the High Court.

Chib was detained due to his alleged role as the “main conspirator” in orchestrating an unlawful assembly during the protest on February 20 at Bharat Mandapam, where slogans were chanted and efforts were reportedly made to incite a riot-like atmosphere.

Previously, on February 24, the Patiala House Court had placed him in police custody for four days after investigators requested a seven-day remand, arguing that he was the mastermind behind the protest. The police further claimed that he and his co-accused had obstructed law enforcement officials and failed to cooperate during questioning.

This protest has ignited a political controversy, with the BJP condemning it as an attempt to damage India’s international reputation, while the Congress party defended it as a legitimate expression of democratic dissent from the youth.