Student activist Sharjeel Imam, accused of involvement in the 2020 Delhi riots, insists he has no ties to alleged co-conspirators and advocates for non-violence. His lawyer claims a lack of evidence against him and highlights Imam’s peaceful protest involvement. The court will hear his bail plea on December 20.
New Delhi: Student activist Sharjeel Imam, accused of being a key conspirator in the 2020 Delhi riots, told the Delhi High Court on Thursday that he had no connections with the alleged co-conspirators and that his speeches consistently emphasized non-violence. Imam, who has been in custody for over four years, urged a bench led by Justice Navin Chawla to grant him bail in the larger conspiracy case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Imam’s counsel argued that there is no evidence linking him to the other accused.
“There are absolutely no chats between me and any of the co-conspirators. No chats, no calls with any of the co-conspirators in the case. Yet they rely on my chats to implicate me,”
the counsel stated.
Emphasizing that Imam’s public speeches called for non-violence, the lawyer added,
“There is nothing in my chats to remotely suggest that I intended to incite any violence. There is no call for violence in any of my speeches. There are repeated calls for non-violence.”
Imam’s counsel highlighted his role in raising the protest site at Shaheen Bagh, which remained peaceful throughout. He reportedly distanced himself from the site in January 2020, fearing violence. The lawyer also noted that Imam left Delhi in mid-January 2020 and was already in custody for a separate case by January 28, weeks before the riots began in February.
Imam was arrested on August 25, 2020, based on what the counsel called “belated witness statements recorded to implicate him.”
The bench questioned Imam’s reference to “Ghazwa-e-Hind,” as alleged by a witness, and whether it could be interpreted as incitement to violence. Imam’s counsel dismissed the claim, stating, “The statement was made six months later just to implicate me. What I said is in the open.”
The court was informed that Imam, a student, had no prior criminal record related to the current cases and has already secured bail in four other cases of alleged inflammatory speeches.
The lawyer pointed out that co-accused Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal are already out on bail, and other accused, including Umar Khalid and Khalid Saifi, await decisions on their bail pleas.
The matter will next be heard on December 20, with Imam requesting the court to grant him bail and consider the lack of direct evidence linking him to the conspiracy.
FOLLOW US ON YOUTUBE FOR MORE LEGAL UPDATES