Sedition: Ex-JNU student Sharjeel Imam moves SC against HC bail denial

Guwahati: Activist Sharjeel Imam on Saturday moved the Supreme Court countering a Delhi High Court order denying him bail in an anti-terror law case assoiciated with the alleged conspiracy behind the February 2020 riots in the Delhi.

Imam has challenged the Delhi High Court’s September 2 order, passed by a division bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur, that deprived him of bail.

The case is yet to be listed for hearing in the Supreme Court. Imam was arrested on January 28, 2020.

The Delhi High Court had on Tuesday rejected the bail pleas of Imam, Umar Khalid, and seven others—Athar Khan, Abdul Khalid Saifi, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmed—in the larger conspiracy case linked to the February 2020 Delhi riots.

Also Read: Delhi HC denies bail to Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and seven others in UAPA case

Earlier the same day, co-accused Tasleem Ahmed was also denied bail by a separate bench of Justice Subramonium Prasad and Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar.

The accused, charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and relevant IPC provisions, argued that spending five years in custody without trial violated their fundamental right to liberty.

However, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing Delhi Police, contended that individuals accused of acting against the nation must remain in custody until acquitted or convicted.

He emphasized that the riots resulted in the death of one police officer and injuries to over 140 others, describing the violence as a “well-orchestrated and organised criminal conspiracy.”

Rejecting claims that prolonged detention justified bail, Mehta highlighted that the investigation included 58 statements recorded before a magistrate, terming it “one of the finest” investigations conducted.

The February 2020 riots claimed 53 lives and left more than 700 people injured.