Overview

• A bench of Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar delivered the bail order on July 2 after reserving judgment on the petitions on May 21.
• Neelam Azad and Mahesh Kumawat had appealed against trial court orders rejecting their bail pleas, contending their actions involved no explosives and did not meet UAPA’s definition of terrorism.
• The December 13 protest deployed coloured smoke canisters inside the Lok Sabha and outside Parliament to mark the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 terror attack.
• The court questioned whether the use of non-violent smoke canisters in Parliament sessions constituted a terrorist act under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
• The case underscores tensions between upholding national security within Parliament and protecting the right to political expression.