A court in Delhi granted 10 days of interim bail to activist Sharjeel Imam in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case. The relief was given so that Imam can attend his brother’s wedding and look after his sick mother.
Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma Courts approved the interim bail request. The court allowed Imam to remain out of custody for a limited period of 10 days before he returns. Imam has been granted interim bail for 10 days, from March 20 to March 30.
Sharjeel is one of the accused in cases related to the violence that took place in Delhi in 2020. In an earlier order, the court had framed charges against him in connection with the Jamia Millia Islamia violence case. At that time, the court observed that Imam was not just an instigator but also among those who were allegedly part of a larger plan linked to the violence. The court had also examined a speech delivered near Jamia Millia Islamia University on December 13, 2019, which it described as highly provocative.
Sharjeel Imam has been booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code. These include charges related to criminal conspiracy, abetment, rioting and unlawful assembly, promoting enmity between groups, attempt to commit culpable homicide, obstructing a public servant, causing damage using fire or explosive substances.
He also faces charges under provisions of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act. In an order dated March 7, the court said the large gathering of people and the riots that followed were not sudden or accidental events. According to the court, such large-scale unrest could not have taken place without planning. It noted that the events appeared to be connected to a broader conspiracy involving those who were leading or encouraging the crowd, while other people later joined the gathering.
The prosecution had argued that Imam’s speech on December 13, 2019, encouraged people to organise a ‘chakka jam’, or a blockade of public movement. The court observed that Imam, who was a senior PhD student at the time, carefully presented his speech in a way that mainly addressed members of the Muslim community while indirectly targeting others. According to the court’s earlier remarks, the speech was designed to create anger and could lead to large gatherings blocking public roads.
The accused, who were student activists in the forefront of organising anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests in 2019-2020, are facing charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Indian Penal Code for allegedly formulating the ‘larger conspiracy’ behind the communal riots which took place in the national capital in the last week of February 2020.
The accused in the case include Tahir Hussain, Umar Khalid, Khalid Saifi, Isharat Jahan, Meeran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima, Shifa-Ur-Rehman, Asif Iqbal Tanha (granted bail in 2021), Shadab Ahmed, Tasleem Ahmed, Saleem Malik, Mohd. Saleem Khan, Athar Khan, Safoora Zargar (granted bail on humanitarian grounds as she was pregnant when arrested), Sharjeel Imam, Faizan Khan, Devangana Kalita (granted bail) and Natasha Narwal (granted bail).
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