Sharjeel Imam granted bail in sedition case, to stay in custody in other cases

Former JNU student Sharjeel Imam has been granted bail in a sedition case accusing him of provocative speech – that allegedly led to violence in Jamia Nagar area – during protests against the citizenship law in December 2019, Live Law reported. However, he will continue to be in custody in several other cases lodged against him.

This comes months after the Delhi high court asked a trial court to consider Imam’s application seeking relief on the ground that he has remained in custody for 31 months under the FIR. Additional sessions judge Anuj Agrawal granted bail in a case lodged at New Friends Colony police station.

On December 15, 2019, a few buses were set afire in New Friends Colony as police tried to prevent students and locals from marching in protest against the controversial citizenship law. Police alleged local miscreants and students were behind the violence and subsequently barged inside Jamia Millia Islamia on the same day, allegedly assaulting many on campus, including in the library, mosque and toilets. The prosecution has claimed that Imam was among those who had instigated the crowd.

Imam was earlier denied bail by a Saket court in October last year. It noted that the tone of his “incendiary speech” had a debilitating effect on public peace.