Respect judiciary, India tells New York mayor Zohran Mamdani on Umar Khalid note

Mamdani, who is of Indian origin, had handed over a handwritten note expressing solidarity with Khalid when he met the activist’s parents in the US in December.

Updated on: Jan 10, 2026, 06:51:50 IST

By Rezaul H Laskar

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New Delhi: India on Friday responded to New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani writing a note to jailed activist Umar Khalid, saying public representatives should respect the independence of the judiciary in other democracies.

Mamdani, who is of Indian origin, had handed over a handwritten note expressing solidarity with Khalid when he met the activist’s parents in the US in December.

The note said Mamdani often thought of Khalid’s words on bitterness and the “importance of not letting it consume oneself”.

When external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked about the matter at a weekly media briefing, he replied: “We expect public representatives to be respectful of the independence of the judiciary in other democracies.

“Expressing personal prejudices does not behove those in office. Instead of such comments, it would be better to focus on the responsibilities entrusted to them,” Jaiswal added.

Khalid has been denied bail since he was arrested by the Delhi Police in September 2020.

He was booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act in a case related to clashes in northeast Delhi in February 2020 between supporters of the Citizenship Amendment Act and those opposing the law. The clashes left 53 dead and hundreds injured or displaced.

Police have claimed the violence was part of a conspiracy to defame the central government. The Supreme Court this week denied bail to Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, another activist charged in the same case.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More

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