Delhi court grants bail to Sharjeel Imam in 2019 Jamia violence case

A Delhi court on Thursday granted bail to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Sharjeel Imam in a case related to alleged violence at Jamia Millia Islamia University in December 2019.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Dinesh Kumar admitted him on bail on furnishing Rs 25,000 bond with one surety of like amount.

"Considering the nature of the offence, and the fact that he was not arrested during the investigation, the [bail] application is allowed," the judge ordered.

The incident of violence in the varsity had occurred concerning student protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in December 2019.

The FIR under which he is an accused involves offences such as rioting, conspiracy, attempt to commit culpable homicide, voluntarily obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions, and assault under the Indian Penal Code.

Imam will, however, remain in jail as he is accused in three other cases related to violence in Delhi.

In October, the court had denied bail to Imam bail in connection with allegedly delivering an inflammatory speech and inciting violence during the CAA-NRC protests in 2019, saying free speech cannot be exercised at the cost of communal peace and harmony.

Besides this case, Imam is also accused of being the "masterminds" of the February 2020 riots, which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. He has been booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

He was also arrested in another case under UAPA and sedition for his alleged speeches at two universities in 2019, where he allegedly threatened to cut off Assam and the rest of the Northeast from India.