‘Blatant Assault On Public Order’: Delhi Court Denies Bail To IYC Workers Over Shirtless Protest at AI Impact Summit
A Delhi court had remanded four Indian Youth Congress workers to five-day police custody, holding that their protest at the AI Impact Summit went beyond legitimate dissent and threatened public order
Delhi's Patiala House Court, India AI Impact Summit Protest
A Delhi court has held that the conduct of four Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers who staged a shirtless protest inside the high-security venue of the AI Impact Summit “transcended the ambit of legitimate dissent” and amounted to a “blatant assault on public order” that imperilled India’s diplomatic image before foreign stakeholders.
Judicial Magistrate Ravi of Patiala House Court passed the order on February 21 while remanding Krishna Hari, Kundan Yadav, Ajay Kumar and Narasimha Yadav to five days’ police custody and rejecting their bail pleas.
The four were arrested in connection with a protest at the India AI Impact Summit held at Bharat Mandapam on February 20. According to the prosecution, several IYC activists entered the summit venue, and the accused removed their shirts to reveal T-shirts bearing slogans such as “PM is compromised” and messages criticising the India-US trade deal. They allegedly raised slogans against the Prime Minister and government policies within the summit premises.
The Delhi Police accused them of breaching security protocols at the high-profile international event and raising “anti-national” slogans. It further alleged that the accused obstructed public servants in the discharge of their duties and assaulted police personnel, causing injuries.
In a strongly worded order, as per reports, the magistrate observed that the accused had orchestrated a “premeditated intrusion” into the high-security precincts of Bharat Mandapam. The court noted that they donned provocative T-shirts, raised incendiary slogans and obstructed officials on duty.
“Such conduct palpably transcends the ambit of legitimate dissent, metamorphosing into a blatant assault on public order. It imperils not merely the sanctity of the event but also the Republic’s diplomatic image before foreign stakeholders, rendering it wholly unprotected by constitutional safeguards,” the court, reportedly said.
Rejecting the bail applications, the magistrate recorded that the accused hail from different states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana, and that the possibility of interference with evidence or absconding could not be ruled out at this stage. The court found sufficient material on record to allow custodial interrogation, observing that early investigation pointed towards a potentially organised and premeditated action. It also noted that other individuals involved in the protest may still be absconding.
The police invoked provisions relating to obstructing public servants and other offences concerning public order. The court referred to relevant provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 121 and 61(2), while assessing the gravity of the allegations.
A detailed order elaborating on the court’s reasoning is awaited.
According to the prosecution, the accused raised anti-national slogans and wore T-shirts displaying objectionable images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the event. The police informed the court that the matter was “serious” and required custodial interrogation to recover the mobile phones of the accused and to ascertain the larger conspiracy behind the protest.
The investigating agency further submitted that the four individuals hail from different states, making custodial questioning necessary to determine the source of funding, the organisation of the protest, and where the T-shirts were printed. The prosecution also alleged that when police attempted to intervene, an effort was made to obstruct them, resulting in injuries to three personnel.
The accused have been booked under provisions relating to voluntarily obstructing a public servant in the discharge of duty and other sections pertaining to defiance of lawful public order. Sources indicated that the invoked offences are non-bailable in nature.
Opposing the custody plea, counsel for the arrested leaders argued that they are members of a recognised political party and were exercising their democratic right to protest peacefully. The defence submitted that criminalising political dissent diminishes the dignity of democracy. It was further argued that if protesting warrants arrest, then similar standards should apply to Members of Parliament who stage demonstrations inside Parliament.
The incident stems from a protest staged by members of the Indian Youth Congress at the venue of the AI Impact Summit, where participants allegedly removed their shirts to reveal slogans reading “Compromised PM”.
In a statement, the IYC maintained that its workers were protesting against what it termed a “compromised Prime Minister who has traded the identity of the country at the AI Summit”.
The episode has also triggered political reactions. Workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged protests in multiple states condemning the Youth Congress action. BJP MP Manoj Tiwari criticised the Congress party, stating that the country would not forgive what he described as an act that sent a wrong signal during an international summit attended by representatives from over 80 countries.
Members of the BJP Yuva Morcha in Delhi similarly held demonstrations denouncing the protest.
Bench: Judicial Magistrate Ravi
Order Date: February 21, 2026