Sharjeel Imam gets 10-day bail in 2020 Delhi riots case for brother's wedding

Activist Sharjeel Imam

• Sharjeel Imam granted 10-day interim bail for brother's wedding
• Imam remains accused in 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case
• Supreme Court earlier denied bail to Imam and Umar Khalid

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A Delhi court on Monday granted 10-day interim bail to student activist Sharjeel Imam, an accused in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots conspiracy case.

The bail was allowed to enable him to attend his brother’s wedding and take care of his ailing mother.

Imam remains under investigation in connection with the 2020 riots case, which has drawn widespread attention due to its political and social sensitivities.

Sharjeel is expected to return once the 10-day period concludes.

Sharjeel Imam is among several accused named in the larger conspiracy case related to the communal violence that broke out in northeast Delhi in February 2020. The riots left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.

The case is being investigated by the Delhi Police, which has alleged that the violence was the outcome of a “pre-planned and well-designed” conspiracy intended to disrupt public order during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

In January, the Supreme Court of India denied bail to Imam and co-accused Umar Khalid. A bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria observed that the prosecution had placed sufficient material on record to establish a prima facie case suggesting their involvement in the alleged criminal conspiracy.

At the same time, the court granted bail to five other accused in the case, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed, noting that the allegations and roles attributed to them differed from those linked to Imam and Khalid.

Imam and several others have been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) along with provisions of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code in connection with the riots conspiracy case.

According to the Delhi Police, some of the accused were “masterminds” behind the alleged conspiracy, with investigators citing speeches and other materials as part of the evidence in the case.