Sharjeel Imam has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court’s order that denied him bail in the 2020 Delhi riots larger conspiracy case. His plea seeks relief under UAPA charges for alleged inflammatory speeches.
Sharjeel Imam has approached the Supreme Court seeking bail in a larger conspiracy case under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) related to the 2020 North East Delhi riots.
The riots, occurred in February 2020, were created by disputes over the proposed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). According to the Delhi Police, these riots resulted in the deaths of 53 individuals and left hundreds injured.
The violence resulted in the deaths of 53 individuals and left more than 700 others injured.
The case involves allegations that the accused conspired to incite multiple riots. A Special Cell of the Delhi Police registered the FIR under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the UAPA.
Many of the accused face charges in multiple FIRs, leading to several bail petitions across different courts. Most have been in custody since 2020.
Sharjeel Imam has been involved in various FIRs across different states, primarily under sedition and UAPA charges. He was granted bail by the Delhi High Court last year for speeches made at Jamia Milia Islamia University and Aligarh Muslim University.
Additionally, he received bail from the Allahabad High Court in 2021 and the Gauhati High Court in 2020 for sedition cases in Aligarh and Guwahati, respectively. He has also been named in FIRs in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur.
Earlier, On September 2, the Delhi High Court denied bail to him and eight others: Umar Khalid, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Shadab Ahmed, Abdul Khalid Saifi, and Gulfisha Fatima. Imam is contesting the High Court’s ruling in his plea to the Supreme Court.
The decision was reserved on July 9 following hearings on petitions submitted from 2022 to 2024. The prosecution argued against the bail applications, contending that the violence was not an impulsive act but rather a “pre-planned conspiracy” driven by a “sinister motive.”
Case Title: Sharjeel Imam v. State of NCT Delhi
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