NEW DELHI — Delhi court on Monday denied bail to JNU student activist Sharjeel Imam in a UAPA case related to the February 2020 north-east Delhi riots, in which several other students and activists are accused.
The order was passed by Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat, days after bail was denied to activists like Shifa-ur-Rehman, Meeran Haider and Umar Khalid in the same case.
So far, six accused in the case have been granted bail. They are student activists Safoora Zargar, Natasha Narwal, Devangana Kalita and Asif Iqbal Tanha and former Congress councillor Ishrat Jahan and another man Faizan Khan.
Arguing for Sharjeel’s bail in the case, his lawyer, Senior Advocate Tanveer Ahmed Mir had submitted that there was no question of accusing him in the “conspiracy” case as he had already been arrested before the riots began. However, the prosecution refuted this argument by saying that Sharjeel’s arrest was for sedition and not the alleged conspiracy.
Sharjeel has been accused in multiple sedition cases as well, in connection with protest speeches he delivered at the peak of the anti-CAA/NRC agitation. In fact, he has been booked in multiple cases for the same speech as well.