Delhi court reserves judgement on Sharjeel Imam's plea seeking statutory bail in sedition case

A Delhi court on Monday reserved order on plea of Sharjeel Imam, a key figure in a case involving alleged inflammatory speeches made against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), seeking statutory bail.

Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat of the Karkardooma Courts heard the arguments and listed the case for the pronouncement of order on September 25.

Imam, who was booked under FIR 22 of 2020 by Delhi Police's Special Branch, was initially registered for the offence of sedition.

Later, Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) was invoked.

He has been in custody since January 28, 2020, and his argument is centred around the claim that he has completed half of the maximum seven-year punishment prescribed under Section 13 of the UAPA.

On Monday, when Imam's counsel put forth the same argument before court, Delhi Police opposed the claim saying that there is not just one offence, but multiple.

According to his application, he has spent three years and six months in judicial custody and thus should be entitled to statutory bail under Section 436A of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The application states that Imam is willing to provide reliable surety and adhere to any conditions upon his release.

The charges against Imam include sedition (Section 124A), promoting enmity between different religious groups (Section 153A), making assertions prejudicial to national integration (Section 153B), making statements conducive to public mischief (Section 505) under the Indian Penal Code, as well as punishment for unlawful activities (Section 13) under the UAPA.