SHARJEEL IMAM DENIED BAIL BY A DELHI COURT

A Delhi Court denied bail to Sharjeel Imam, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the 2020 Delhi Riots. 

Judge Amitabh Rawat was hearing a bail application of Imam. Advocate Tanveer Ahmed Mir, appearing on behalf of Imam, argued that the allegation of conspiracy prosecution is false as he was arrested before the violence took place. Mir further asked if a conspiracy could continue if a person had been arrested and can a person be arrested for some act that occurred post-arrest. Mir also highlighted that Imam's calls for chakka jam during his speeches were being labeled calls for violence. 

Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad, said that Imam was not arrested for conspiracy, the arrest is for seditious speech. 

The Court framed charges of sedition, promoting enmity between groups and UAPA in a separate case against Imam regarding his speeches. "His act of distributing pamphlets was stated to have promoted a feeling of enmity between the two communities and which was likely to disturb public tranquillity”.