- Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice to the state police
- Court sought its response to student activist Sharjeel Imam's plea seeking bail
- Delhi Police has been asked to submit its response within two weeks
Sharjeel Imam Bail Hearing: The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice to the state police, seeking its response to student activist Sharjeel Imam's plea seeking bail in the larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 riots in the capital. A bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Vikas Mahajan, upon hearing the plea, asked the Delhi Police to submit its response within two weeks and listed the matter for hearing on August 27.
Delhi HC Issues Notice
The bench issued notice on Imam's appeal challenging the trial court's decision to dismiss his second regular bail application earlier on July 4. While rejecting his application, the court stated that it had "no option but to follow" the Supreme Court's January 5 order, adding that the accused cannot be granted relief. The court refused to entertain the application by stating that the bail plea was not even maintainable before it.
However, in a fresh application in the High Court, Imam said that the trial court has made an error by declining to independently examine his plea for regular bail. He pointed out that the proceedings before the trial court were yet to proceed beyond the initial procedures despite the passage of six years.
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Why Did SC Deny Bail To Imam?
Earlier, on January 5, the apex court granted bail to the co-accused Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohammad Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmad. However, it refused bail to Umar Khalid and Imam, the key accused in the larger conspiracy case. The court highlighted that there was a prima facie case against both under the UAPA, further asserting that all accused could not be treated equally.
Imam was arrested and later booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in 2020 for allegedly being one of the masterminds of the riots in northeast Delhi that claimed 53 lives and over 700 people were left injured.