‘Dangerous to image of republic’: Delhi court slams Congress for ‘topless’ protest at AI summit | India News
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Saturday described the “topless” protest by Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers at the AI Impact Summit 2026 as a “blatant attack on public order” that jeopardizes India’s diplomatic image.According to PTI, judicial magistrate Ravi allowed the police to detain the four accused (Bihar Youth Congress national secretary Krishna Hari, Bihar state secretary Kundan Yadav, Uttar Pradesh president Ajay Kumar and Telangana Narasimha Yadav) for five days for interrogation, citing flight risk and potential links with external conspiracy.“This behavior clearly went beyond the scope of legitimate dissent and became a blatant attack on public order. This jeopardizes not only the sanctity of the event but also the diplomatic image of the Republic before foreign stakeholders, leaving it completely unprotected by constitutional guarantees,” the magistrate said.The magistrate noted that the protesters allegedly “wore provocative T-shirts with offensive slogans like ‘Indo-US trade deal damaged’, shouted inflammatory slogans, obstructed public servants from discharging their duties, and physically assaulted police personnel, causing serious injuries to them, as evidenced by the forensic case (MLC) on record.”“…the accused are accused of masterminding a premeditated incursion into the high-security area of the Bharat Mandapam during the Artificial Intelligence Summit 2026, a major international conference that hosts global representatives and dignitaries,” the court order obtained by PTI said.The court further cited early findings indicating that multiple associates of the defendants may have absconded and may have tampered with digital footprints, financial trails and co-defendant disclosures. It also cited a 1980 Supreme Court ruling stating that “bail discretion must safeguard the integrity of the investigation, particularly the pre-charge investigation.”The magistrate allowed police detention under sections 121 (intentionally causing harm to prevent a public servant from discharging his duties) and 61(2) (conspiracy to commit an offence) of the BNS, which carry a penalty of more than three years.The protest took place during the Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit 2026 at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, attracting global technology leaders, policymakers and entrepreneurs. The accused displayed T-shirts with images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, as well as slogans against the government and the India-US trade deal, and got into a scuffle with security personnel.On Friday, police arrested four protesters for conducting a “topless protest” inside the exhibition hall.
