HC seeks cops’ response on Sharjeel Imam’s plea against UAPA, sedition charges
Imam, through his counsel, has moved the high court challenging an order of January 24 by which the trial court had dismissed his bail plea and also framed charges against him for his allegedly provocative speeches delivered during the anti-CAA protests
The Delhi high court on Friday sought the response of the Delhi Police on a plea by Sharjeel Imam, challenging a trial order slapping sedition and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act charges against him for his allegedly provocative speeches at Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University during the anti-CAA (Citizenship (Amended) Act) protests.
A bench of justices Siddharth Mridul and Anoop Kumar Mendiratta issued notice to the police and granted them two weeks to file their response, after special public prosecutor Amit Prasad, representing the Delhi Police, sought time to place on record relevant documents. The court then posted the matter for further hearing to March 26.
Imam, through his counsel, has moved the high court challenging an order of January 24 by which the trial court had dismissed his bail plea and also framed charges against him for his allegedly provocative speeches delivered during the anti-CAA protests.
The speeches for which Imam was arrested were made in the Jamia University area on December 13, 2019, and in Aligarh Muslim University on January 16, 2020. He has been in judicial custody since January 28, 2020.
In its charge-sheet, the Delhi Police has alleged that his speeches incited hatred, contempt, and disaffection towards the Central government and instigated people, which led to the violence in Jamia in December 2019.
On January 24, additional sessions judge Amitabh Rawat had framed charges under UAPA against Imam for his speech in which he allegedly threatened to cut off Assam and the rest of the north-east India from the mainland by calling for a “chakka jam”. The court also slapped sedition charges against him along with other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The trial court had said, “Accused is directed to be charged for the offences under sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity on grounds of religion), 153B (assertions prejudicial to national integration), 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), of Indian Penal Code and Section 13 (unlawful activities) of UAPA.”
The same day, the trial court also dismissed Imam’s bail plea.
The present case was registered against Imam on January 25, 2020, simultaneously with four other FIRs across multiple states for the same speeches attributed to him.
In his defence, Imam had earlier told the court that he was not a terrorist and his prosecution is a “the whip of a monarch rather than a government established by law”.
Besides the sedition case, Imam is also accused of being the “mastermind” of the February 2020 riots, which left 53 people dead and over 400 injured. He has been booked under the UAPA in that case as well.
Earlier in December, the court had granted bail to Imam in a case of alleged violence at Jamia university in December 2019 during protests against the amended citizenship law.
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