Whether presence in the room while his brother spoke to ANI amounted to a breach was the question in the Sharjeel Imam interim bail matter, and a Delhi court has held that it did. The underlying UAPA allegations are untested, the court has expressed no view on the merits, and the accused is presumed innocent unless proved guilty.
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New Delhi: Rejecting the contention that he was not present when a media person interviewed his brother, a Delhi court has held that Sharjeel Imam flouted a condition of the interim bail granted to him in the 2020 Delhi riots larger conspiracy case [Application for cancellation of interim bail of Sharjeel Imam in the Delhi riots larger conspiracy case].
Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma Courts passed the order on October 10, hearing a Delhi Police plea for cancellation of the interim bail.
What the clips showed
In the court’s reading, the clips placed Imam and others in the same room, appeared to have been recorded at nearly the same time, and carried ANI’s identification. On that basis it held:
“the accused has flouted the term ii of the bail order dated 22.09.2026.”
The prosecution’s case
Delhi Police alleged that the breach was wilful and deliberate. It relied on videos on YouTube and X showing Imam sitting in his living room while his brother gave an interview to ANI, and argued that the footage could not have been shot without his knowledge. The brother is not bound by the bail conditions.
Imam’s answer
His counsel contended that Imam neither spoke to any journalist nor gave an interview, and that one of the videos the police relied on was a compilation of separate clips from different sources.
The terms of the bail
An order dated September 22, 2026 had granted Imam interim bail from October 4 to 10 to attend his cousin’s wedding functions. He is booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The conditions barred him from using social media, from contact with any media person, and from meeting anyone other than family, relatives and friends.
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Surrender due the same day
The interim bail was due to expire on October 10, and Imam’s counsel told the court that he would reach Delhi in the evening to surrender. Since he is due to surrender the same day, the court did not cancel the bail. Imam has been in custody since January 2020. The Delhi High Court denied him regular bail in September 2025, and the Supreme Court upheld that decision in January 2026.
Case Details: Application for cancellation of interim bail of Sharjeel Imam in the Delhi riots larger conspiracy case (UAPA), Karkardooma Courts, Delhi, before Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai. Order dated October 10, 2026. Case title and number not stated.
Appearances: Special Public Prosecutor Madhukar Pandey for Delhi Police; Advocate Talib Mustafa for Sharjeel Imam.