2020 Delhi riots: Court denies interim bail to Sharjeel Imam

New Delhi, July 23

A Delhi court on Saturday denied interim bail to former JNU student Sharjeel Imam in a case related to an alleged conspiracy behind the 2020 northeast Delhi riots.

Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat rejected the bail plea noting there was not sufficient ground to grant the relief.

During the hearing, Imam’s counsel Ahmad Ibrahim told the court that the accused met the conditions for bail and he was not a flight risk, nor at the risk of influencing witnesses or tampering with the evidence.

Also, Imam did not make a conscious call for inciting violent activities, the counsel said.

Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad opposed the bail plea and said the court could consider the gravity of the offence before granting bail.

Imam is accused of making inflammatory speeches against the government on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), particularly at the Jamia Milia Islamia University in December 2019, which allegedly led to violence in the area outside the university.

Imam, also facing sedition charges for his alleged inflammatory speeches, is in judicial custody since January 2020.

The Delhi Police had filed a charge sheet against Imam in the case, in which it alleged that he gave speeches inciting hatred, contempt, and disaffection towards the Central government and instigated people which led to the violence in December 2019.