A court here on Monday reserved for September 25 its order on the bail plea of student activist Sharjeel Imam, who has been in custody since January 28, 2020.
Mr. Imam was arrested in a case relating to alleged inflammatory speeches against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. He was initially booked under the IPC sections pertaining to sedition, among others.
Later, he, along with Umar Khalid, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Safoora Zargar, Natasha Narwal and others was booked under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the IPC for alleged consipiracy behind the 2020 riots in the national capital.
Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat of Karkardooma Court was hearing the plea of Mr. Imam, seeking bail on the ground that he has already served half the maximum prison sentence of seven years under the UAPA
Delhi Police submitted that he has been booked for multiple offences and CrPC Section 436A pertains to only one of them.
Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Amit Prasad submitted that the seriousness of the offences must be considered before granting bail.
The court also decided to start day-to-day hearings on framing charges against the multiple accused in the 2020 riots case. The matter will be heard again on September 14.
