Sharjeel Imam Moves Supreme Court After Delhi HC Denies Bail In 2020 Riots Case

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Activist Sharjeel Imam has now moved Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court order denying him bail in 2020 Delhi riots case. Imam was arrested on January 28, 2020.

According to a report by Live Law, the matter is yet to be listed for hearing before the Apex Court.

On Tuesday, September 2, the Delhi High Court had denied bail to Sharjeel Imam and 8 others including Umar Khalid , Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Shadab Ahmed, Abdul Khalid Saifi and Gulfisha Fatima.

What was the Delhi High Court's order?

The Delhi High Court, in its order, noted that the alleged role of Imam and Umar Khalid in the conspiracy appeared“grave,” having delivered inflammatory speeches on communal lines to“instigate mass mobilization of members of the Muslim community.”

Imam has challenged the Delhi High Court ruling passed on September 2 by a division bench comprising Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Shalinder Kaur denying bail to him.

Also Read | Delhi HC reserves order on Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam bail pleas

The 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy accused argued that their prolonged incarceration without charges being framed amounted to a denial of justice.

Some of their bail applications had been pending since 2022, and they contended that the delay in trial was the principal reason to grant them relief.

2020 Delhi Riots

The riots broke out in February 2020 in Delhi after clashes over the proposed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) - which left around 50 people dead, and hundred others injured, as per reports.

The case in question pertains to the allegations that the accused conspired to orchestrate the violence. The FIR, registered by the Delhi Police Special Cell, invoked provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Also Read | 'Can't hear it endlessly': HC raps police in Delhi riots accused bail pleas

Several accused face multiple FIRs, resulting in numerous bail petitions across different courts. Most have remained in custody since 2020. Imam, too, has been named in multiple FIRs across states, largely under sedition and UAPA charges.

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