New Delhi: Former JNU student Sharjeel Imam has approached the Supreme Court after the Delhi High Court rejected his bail plea in a case linked to the 2020 north-east Delhi riots. The case is being prosecuted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Imam’s petition, filed through advocate Fauzia Shakil, challenges the High Court’s recent order that denied bail to him along with Umar Khalid and seven other accused. The plea is expected to be listed for hearing next week. Imam was arrested in August 2020 and has remained in jail since then.
The High Court, in its order delivered by Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur, dismissed the appeals of all nine accused, stating that the prosecution had provided material suggesting the riots were not spontaneous but part of a planned conspiracy. The court order followed arguments reserved in July.
The prosecution, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, alleged that the violence was orchestrated to damage India’s reputation internationally. He argued that long incarceration was not a sufficient reason to grant bail in such cases.
Imam, Khalid, and others have consistently argued that their continued detention without trial is unjust, particularly when some co-accused have already secured bail. They also maintain that they were targeted for their opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC.
The 2020 riots resulted in 53 deaths and injuries to more than 700 people. The case continues to be one of the most high-profile prosecutions under UAPA in recent years.
