A Delhi court on Tuesday granted interim bail from October 4 to October 10 to student activist Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 North-East Delhi riots larger conspiracy case to allow him to attend his cousin’s wedding.
Imam was arrested by the Delhi Police on January 28, 2020, and booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on charges that he was one of the key intellectual architects behind the entire conspiracy, who worked in tandem with the other co-conspirators, which escalated into large-scale communal violence during the February 2020 Delhi riots. The relief comes a day after the Delhi high court adjourned the regular bail petitions of Imam and co-accused Umar Khalid to September 30.
The Delhi Police has strongly opposed their bail in the High Court, calling them the “masterminds” of the violence. In an affidavit filed last month, police argued that their bail pleas were legally untenable, pointing out that the Supreme Court had previously categorized their roles as part of a “command authority,” distinguishing them from other co-accused.
A copy of the written order has not yet been released. The temporary release was granted by additional sessions judge Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma Courts in connection with a conspiracy case stemming from the 2020 Delhi riots.
