Sharjeel Imam moves court for interim bail to contest Bihar elections

Sharjeel Imam, who is facing trial under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the Delhi riots conspiracy case, has sought interim bail from a Delhi court to contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.

The application was placed before Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai at Karkardooma Courts, where the conspiracy case is being heard. Imam has asked for bail from October 15 to October 29 to allow him to participate in the electoral process.

JNU student activist Imam, who rose to prominence during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), remains in custody on UAPA charges. He has secured bail in several other cases but continues to be imprisoned in the Delhi riots conspiracy case.

On September 2, the Delhi High Court had denied Imam and others regular bail, citing serious allegations under anti-terror provisions. His appeal against that order is currently pending before the Supreme Court.

Those whose appeals were turned down in the high court include Imam, Umar Khalid, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Shadab Ahmed, Abdul Khalid Saifi and Gulfisha Fatima. They had urged the court to consider that delays in the framing of charges had kept them in custody for a prolonged period.

In his application, Imam identified himself as a “political prisoner and student activist”, stating his intention to contest as an independent candidate from the Bahadurganj constituency in Bihar.

“The applicant is willing to contest elections from his home state, Bihar, which are scheduled to take place in two phases,” the plea said.

The court is expected to hear his interim bail request in the coming days.