Sharjeel Imam denied interim bail by a Delhi court

A Delhi court on Saturday dismissed the interim bail plea of activist Sharjeel Imam, who is in judicial custody under sedition charges, among others, for allegedly delivering inflammatory speeches at the Aligarh Muslim University and the Jamia Milia Islamia during the anti-CAA protests in 2019-20.

Additional sessions judge Amitabh Rawat dismissed the plea of Imam, who had approached the Karkardooma court on May 27 following Delhi High Court's direction to approach the lower court first for bail.

His counsel had withdrawn the interim bail application from the Delhi High Court after the prosecution had raised the issue of maintainability.

Imam had approached the high court first for relief following the historic Supreme Court verdict that put on hold the colonial-era penal provision of sedition (Section 124-A of the Indian Penal Code).

In the fresh bail application, Imam said that since the top court has put sedition in abeyance, his case has improved for the grant of bail.

"The appellant has been incarcerated for nearly 28 months since January 28, 2020 whereas the maximum punishment for the offences -- not including 124-A IPC -- are punishable for up to a maximum of seven years imprisonment," the plea read.

JNU scholars and activists Imam and Umar Khalid are among the nearly dozen people reportedly involved in the alleged larger conspiracy linked to the Delhi riots of 2020, as per the Delhi Police.

Imam and Khalid are facing charges in connection with making inflammatory speeches which allegedly fuelled the violence, as per the police.

The riots broke out in the national capital in February 2020 as clashes between the anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and pro-CAA protesters took a violent turn.

The mayhem saw more than 50 people lose their lives besides leaving over 700 persons injured.