A Delhi court rejected the bail to former JNU student Sharjeel Imam on Saturday afternoon. He is accused of hate speech in a case at the Jamia Milia Islamia University. As well as the Aligarh Muslim University, Gaya, and Asansol.
Imam had requested interim bail, citing the Supreme Court’s decision to halt all sedition case proceedings pertaining to an alleged plot behind the 2020 riots in northeast Delhi. Further Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat denied the bail request, who noted that there was insufficient justification to provide the relief.
Imam’s attorney, Ahmad Ibrahim, informed the court at the hearing that the defendant complied with the bail requirements and posed no flight risk, risk of influencing witnesses, or risk of tampering with the evidence. He continued by saying that the Imam had not specifically called for aggressive behaviour.
Amit Prasad, the special public prosecutor, opposed the request for release. And asserted that the court could evaluate the seriousness of the offence before granting bail.
Sharjeel Imam recently claimed that on June 30, the assistant superintendent of Tihar Jail and about 10 other persons assaulted him in his cell. They reportedly referred to him as a traitor and a terrorist.
They reportedly referred to him as a traitor and a terrorist. Imam contended that it was improper to refer to him in such a way without concrete evidence supporting the claims. On August 1, this matter will now be heard.
Imam is charged with making provocative comments against the National Register of Citizens (NRC). And the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, particularly at the Jamia Milia Islamia Campus in December 2019. Which allegedly sparked rioting in the area around the university.
Sharjeel Imam has been in judicial jail since January 2020 and is also charged with sedition for his allegedly provocative comments.
