Nearly four-and-a-half years after he was arrested on charges of delivering inflammatory speeches, activist Sharjeel Imam was granted bail by Delhi High Court today. Sharjeel Imam had challenged a trial court order that refused him bail and argued that he had already undergone more than half of the maximum sentence he can be awarded if he is convicted in the case.
A research scholar with Jawaharlal Nehru University, he was arrested in January 2020 after a sedition case was registered against him for an alleged call to cut off the Northeast from the rest of India. The remarks were made amid protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Cases against the activist were registered in several states, including Delhi, Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
According to Delhi Police, Sharjeel Imam made divisive speeches at events in Jamia Millia Islamia University and at Aligarh Muslim University. He was allegedly one of the organisers of the protest at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh against the new citizenship law.
Arguing before the high court bench of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Manoj Jain, the prosecution said Sharjeel Imam had allegedly threatened to cut off the North East from the country in his speeches. Imam was charged under the IPC section relating to sedition, and Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act was also invoked.
Seeking bail, the activist told the court that the maximum sentence under Section 13 of UAPA is seven years and he has already been in custody for over four. A trial court had earlier refused him bail, noting that an accused's custody could be extended in "exceptional circumstances".
Imam is also an accused in several cases linked to the 2020 riots in North-east Delhi.
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