The Delhi High Court has issued a notice in response to Sharjeel Imam's petition challenging the rejection of his statutory bail request in a case involving UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) and sedition charges.

A division bench, consisting of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Manoj Jain, sought a response from the Delhi Police within a period of two weeks. The court has scheduled the matter for a hearing in April.

The case pertains to alleged inflammatory speeches delivered by Sharjeel Imam in the vicinity of Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia in the national capital, opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Imam had applied for statutory bail in the case, citing completion of half of the maximum seven-year sentence. However, on February 17, the trial court rejected his plea, noting that his speeches and actions had "incited the public," leading to disturbances in the national capital and potentially being a significant factor in the outbreak of the 2020 riots.

Imam was charged under FIR 22 of 2020, filed by the Delhi Police's Special Branch. Initially, the case was registered for the offense of sedition, but later Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) was invoked. He has been in custody since January 28, 2020, in connection with this case.

“Although the applicant did not ask anybody to pick the weapons and kill the people, his speeches and activities mobilised the public which disrupted the city and might be the main reason in the outbreak of the riots.''

The court formally charged Imam in the FIR in January of last year. He has been charged with offenses under Section 124A (sedition), 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, etc.), 153B (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration), and 505 (Statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with Section 13 (Punishment for unlawful activities) of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

In June of last year, Imam filed a petition in the Delhi High Court contesting the legal proceedings against him in two separate cases for the same speech delivered at Jamia Millia Islamia University in December 2019. The case is currently awaiting a decision from the court.

Case Title: Sharjeel Imam v. State