Court declines Sharjeel Imam’s interim bail in the Delhi riots case.

A Delhi court refused interim bail to former JNU student Sharjeel Imam in relation to the suspected conspiracy behind the 2020 northeast Delhi riots. Amitabh Rawat, an additional sessions judge, rejected Imam’s request for release, stating that there was insufficient support to award him the relief.

The accused had complied with the bail requirements, according to Imam’s attorney Ahmad Ibrahim, and he did not pose a flight risk or a threat to witnesses or the integrity of the evidence. Ibrahim added that he did not explicitly call for violence.

Amit Prasad, the special public prosecutor, disagreed with the bail request and argued that the court should first weigh the seriousness of the offence before granting the request.

Sharjeel Imam is accused of giving divisive comments against the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, particularly at Jamia Milia Islamia Campus in December 2019, which allegedly sparked unrest in the neighbourhood around the university. He faces sedition charges for the alleged speeches and has been detained by the courts since January 2020. The Delhi Police’s charge sheet claims that the Imam influenced people and used statements to stir hatred, contempt, and disaffection toward the Central government, which resulted in the violence in December 2019.