HC notice to Delhi police on Sharjeel Imam’s fresh bail plea

The Delhi High Court on March 9 issued notice to the Delhi Police on a fresh bail plea filed by JNU student Sharjeel Imam in a case related to alleged instigating speeches against the Government on the issue of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).

A Bench of Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta asked the Delhi Police Crime Branch to file its reply on Mr. Imam’s plea while listing it for further hearing on March 24.

The present case relates to an FIR registered against Mr. Imam where it mention two speeches delivered by him — the first one at Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi on December 13, 2019 and the second at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on December 16, 2019.

The FIR in Delhi was registered on January 25, 2020, but Mr. Imam also faces four other FIRs across multiple States for the same speeches attributed to him. In his plea before the high court, filed through advocate Ahmad Ibrahim, Mr. Imam has challenged a January 24 order of a trial court in New Delhi rejecting his bail plea in the FIR.

While hearing Mr. Imam’s bail plea, the high court hinted that it was inclined to grant bail to the final year of Ph.D. student in the current case. The high court said that the trial court, while denying bail to Mr. Imam, has not gone into relevant considerations.

“He [the trial court] has dealt with nothing. All these offences are less than seven years. We are asking you [the police] why he [Imam] should not be enlarged on bail? Is he a flight risk? Will he tamper with evidence? Who are the witnesses?” the Bench queried.

The public prosecutor argued that the charges faced by Mr. Imam also include sedition which is punishable with life imprisonment.