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Synopsis

The Delhi High Court, on Wednesday, granted statutory bail to Sharjeel Imam in a case involving allegations of sedition and violations of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) due to inflammatory speeches at Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia during the anti-CAA-NRC protests.

The bench of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Manoj Jain, approved Imam's bail application after he challenged a previous trial court decision denying him bail. The High Court took into account various procedural dates, including charge framing and witness examinations, ultimately deciding in Imam's favor

Advocates Talib Mustafa and Ahmad Ibrahim, representing Imam, argued that he had been incarcerated for four years and seven months. Imam argued for his release on the basis that he had already served more than half of the potential seven-year sentence. 

However, Special Public Prosecutor Rajat Nair, representing the Police, contended that Imam had not served half of his sentence and referenced Section 436A of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to argue against the bail. 

Previously, the trial court had denied Imam's bail, stating that his speeches and activities incited public disruption, which could have significantly contributed to the 2020 Delhi riots. Imam had been detained since January 28, 2020, initially for sedition, with UAPA charges added later.

In January of the previous year, charges were officially framed against Imam under several sections of the Indian Penal Code and the UAPA. Moreover, Imam had previously petitioned the Delhi High Court in June last year, contesting legal proceedings in two separate cases for the same speech delivered at Jamia Millia Islamia in December 2019. 

Case Title: Sharjeel Imam v State

[Inputs: PTI]