Activist Sharjeel Imam, lodged in Tihar Jail in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots case, has been granted interim bail for 10 days by a Delhi court to attend his brother’s wedding and take care of his ailing mother.
Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai was hearing the interim bail petition filed by Sharjeel Imam, who sought relief for six weeks. In light of this, the court granted him interim bail from March 20 to 30, news agency PTI reported.
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Imam was arrested along with fellow activist Omar Khalid under Section 15A of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) after they were charged with inciting the 2020 Delhi riots. Imam was granted interim bail for over two months after five others were charged in the case.
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The Supreme Court denied bail to Khalid and Imam earlier this year, and soon after, Imam’s lawyers said he had withdrawn from the anti-CAA protests in Delhi ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, fearing the peaceful agitation would turn violent. Even the prosecution claims that Imam left the protests by January, weeks before the February 2020 riots, his lawyer told the court.
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The defense also said there was no call log or evidence of meetings linking the imam to Omar Khaled, and that he was not part of the WhatsApp groups allegedly used to coordinate roadblocks. Instead, he created a separate group of university students for peaceful demonstrations.
The imam is among 17 accused in the alleged conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots, which left 53 people dead and hundreds injured. Eleven defendants are currently out on bail (excluding the imam), and the case is in the pleading stage for filing charges, with 17 of the 18 defendants having completed their pleas.
(With inputs from PTI)
