Delhi Riots: Delhi High Court on Wednesday grants bail to student activist Sharjeel Imam in sedition case. He had sought statutory bail on the grounds of time spent in the custody since January 2020. He is also accused in larger conspiracy case of Delhi riots. The Delhi police in March had opposed the Delhi High Court student activist Imam’s plea seeking bail in a UAPA case linked to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 communal riots.
The police relied on the speeches made by Imam to contend that he mobilised persons from the minority community and “propagated” ‘chakka jam’ as a mode of disruption with “no window for peaceful protest”.
Imam, United Against Hate founder Khalid Saifi and several others, including Umar Khalid, have been booked under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 riots in North-East Delhi which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. The violence had erupted during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).