Sharjeel Imam, an accused in the 2020 communal riots in Delhi, moved the Supreme Court on Saturday (August 6). A few days ago, the Delhi High Court had refused to grant bail to Sharjeel. The case relates to the riots that took place during the protests in northeast Delhi against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Sharjeel Imam is accused of being one of the conspirators of the riots.
Sharjeel Imam has filed a bail petition in the Supreme Court
Sharjeel Imam has filed a bail petition in the Supreme Court challenging the order of the Delhi High Court. A bench of Justice Naveen Chawla and Justice Shailendra Kaur had rejected the bail petitions of several other accused, including Sharjeel Imam. According to a report by ‘PTI’, the court had reserved its decision on July 9 on the petitions filed in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Those whose bail applications were rejected by the Delhi High Court include Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, Gulfasha Fatima, Athar Khan, Abdul Khalid Saifi, Muhammad Saleem Khan, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Miran Haider and Shadab Ahmed. While Taslim Ahmed’s bail application was rejected by a bench of Justices Subramanian Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar.
The prosecution told the court that the riots did not happen suddenly, but were planned in advance. At the same time, they had said that it was a dangerous conspiracy and it was carried out in a premeditated manner. It is worth mentioning that Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and others have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). They are accused of being the ‘masterminds’ of the riots. 53 people died in the riots and over 700 people were injured.
The prosecution had opposed these pleas, saying that this was not a case of spontaneous riots but a case where the riots were “premeditated” with a “nefarious purpose” and a “well-thought-out conspiracy”.
Khalid, Imam and others were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and sections of the IPC for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 riots, in which 53 people were killed and over 700 injured.
The violence erupted during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens.
