India Slams New York Mayor for Letter to Umar Khalid, Cites Judicial Independence

• India criticized New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani for expressing solidarity with Umar Khalid, an accused in the Delhi riots conspiracy case.
• Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that public representatives should respect the independence of the judiciary in other democratic countries.
• Jaiswal advised Mamdani to focus on his responsibilities instead of expressing personal biases.
• Umar Khalid was arrested in September 2020 for his alleged role in the North-East Delhi riots conspiracy and has been denied bail.
• The Supreme Court recently rejected bail applications for Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, while granting bail to others in the same case.

Why It Matters: India rebukes New York Mayor for interfering in its judicial process concerning Umar Khalid.