SC refuses to stay prosecution of Sharjeel Imam
Satya Prakash
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 19
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay prosecution of JNU student Sharjeel Imam in hate speech and sedition cases registered against him in five states for his alleged divisive and anti-India utterances during anti-CAA protests.
Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, representing Imam, told a Bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan that it should understand the urgency as his client faced the risk of prosecution in different courts and the top court would be on vacation from next week.
“That’s not the prayer before us. We cannot pass such an interim order,” the Bench told Dave.
Imam — who was arrested from Jehanabad in Bihar on January 28 — wanted the top court to order probe by a single agency after clubbing of all the FIRs lodged against him in Delhi, Assam, UP, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. Besides hate speech, he has also been charged with sedition and certain provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
On Friday, the court was informed that only UP government had filed their responses to Imam’s petition since the last hearing. Delhi had already filed its response to his plea.
Giving further time to Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh to file their affidavits, the Bench listed the matter for further hearing after three weeks.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said whatever will be done will be in accordance with law.
The Supreme Court had on May 26 asked governments of Assam, UP, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh to respond to Imam’s plea for clubbing of all FIRs lodged against him for his in various states.
Dave had cited the court’s order in Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnabb Goswami’s case in which multiples identical FIRs arising out of the same cause of action were quashed, except the nee being probed by the Mumbai Police.
Imam has contended that five FIRs based on same speech and same facts had been registered against him in Delhi, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh
“There is nothing wrong in police registering FIR. If they come to know about some cognizable offence,” the top court had said on May 1.
