Activist Sharjeel Imam, an accused in the 2020 North-East Delhi riots case, told the Delhi High Court on Thursday that he had no connection with co-accused Umar Khalid or the alleged conspiracy behind the violence, asserting that he was “completely disconnected” from the time, place, and people involved.
Appearing before a division bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur during a bail hearing, Imam’s counsel urged the court to consider the “compassionate” grounds of prolonged incarceration, arguing that the former JNU student has been in continuous custody for over five years.
“He is the sole breadwinner of his family. His father is no more, and his mother is ailing,” the counsel submitted, emphasizing that Imam’s speeches and WhatsApp chats did not incite violence or unrest.
The defence stated that Imam was not present in Delhi after January 15, 2020, and was arrested from Bihar on January 28 in a different case. “He was not even in the capital during the time the alleged conspiratorial meetings took place,” the lawyer claimed.
Denying any association with the primary WhatsApp groups allegedly used to coordinate chakka jams and protests, the counsel asserted that the group Imam was part of had “no messages that even remotely incite violence.”
“Just one piece of evidence of violence versus 40 pieces of non-violence is enough to demolish the prosecution’s case,” the counsel told the bench, adding that no message from Imam pitted one community against another.
Responding to a witness who claimed Imam was “related to Umar Khalid and some other accused,” the defence rejected any such link. The lawyer also pointed out that Imam had already secured bail in separate sedition and hate speech cases, and courts had found no consequent violence linked to his speeches.
Regarding his association with the Shaheen Bagh protest site, the defence stated that Imam had distanced himself as early as January 2, 2020, over fears of miscreants misusing the protest. He urged the court not to conflate Imam’s role with violence that occurred in Jamia Millia Islamia in December 2019.
Imam, along with Umar Khalid and others, is facing charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and various IPC provisions for allegedly orchestrating the riots during anti-CAA and NRC protests. The violence in February 2020 led to 53 deaths and injuries to over 700 people.
Sharjeel Imam was arrested in the present case on August 25, 2020. The court has scheduled the next hearing for May 21.
