Former JNU student Umar Khalid, arrested in a UAPA case related to the alleged conspiracy behind the riots here in February 2020, Thursday told the Delhi High Court that mere membership of a WhatsApp group cannot make him criminally liable when nothing objectionable has been attributed to him.

"Is it illegal to be a member of a WhatsApp group unless you commit any illegality?, his counsel asked before a bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Rajnish Bhatnagar which was hearing a plea by Khalid who has challenged a trial court's March 24 order dismissing his bail application in the case.