New Delhi
Student activist Sharjeel Imam has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking bail in the larger conspiracy case linked to the February 2020 Delhi riots, after the Delhi High Court recently denied him relief. Imam, arrested on January 28, 2020, has now spent over five years in pre-trial detention. He is charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Filed through advocate Fauzia Shakil, Imam’s plea challenges the High Court’s September 2 order, arguing that prolonged detention is due to systemic delays in the trial, for which he bears no responsibility. The petition contends that denying bail after such an extended period effectively punishes an undertrial and seeks the Supreme Court’s intervention to secure his release.
The Delhi High Court had earlier refused bail to Imam and fellow activist Umar Khalid, describing their alleged roles in the conspiracy as “prima facie grave.” Seven other accused, including Gulfisha Fatima and Khalid Saifi, were also denied bail. Investigators claim Imam and Khalid were among the first to mobilise opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act through speeches, pamphlets, and WhatsApp groups, framing them as the intellectual architects of the conspiracy that led to riots leaving 53 dead and hundreds injured.
Imam maintains he was in custody weeks before the riots and that his speeches had no causal link to the violence. The Supreme Court is expected to list the matter for hearing shortly, testing the balance between individual rights and stringent UAPA provisions.
