A sessions court in Delhi has granted 10 days of interim bail to student activist Sharjeel Imam, one of the accused in the larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, to attend his brother’s wedding and take care of his ailing mother. Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai passed the order on Monday, allowing Imam to remain out of custody from March 20 to March 30.
Imam had petitioned the court seeking six weeks of interim bail to attend his brother’s wedding scheduled this month. The court granted partial relief, approving only 10 days. The order made clear that the interim bail is being provided solely for the family function and that the Imam must return to judicial custody once the specified period ends.
Supreme Court Had Refused Bail in January
The interim relief comes just months after the Supreme Court in January refused to grant regular bail to Imam and his co-accused Umar Khalid in the same case. A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria had observed that the prosecution had placed sufficient material on record to establish a prima facie case indicating their involvement in the alleged criminal conspiracy.
At the same time, the Supreme Court had granted bail to five other co-accused in the case, namely Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed, noting that their alleged roles differed significantly from those attributed to Khalid and Imam.
What the 2020 Delhi Riots Case Is About
Sharjeel Imam is among several individuals booked in the larger conspiracy case connected to the communal violence that erupted in northeast Delhi in February 2020. The riots left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured and broke out at a time when large-scale protests were taking place across the national capital against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens.
Delhi Police has alleged that the violence was the result of a pre-planned and well-designed conspiracy aimed at disrupting public order during those protests, and has described some of the accused as masterminds of the alleged plot, citing speeches and other material as part of its case. Imam and several others have been charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act as well as provisions of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code. Multiple FIRs have been registered and charge sheets filed, and the matter is currently under trial.
