New Delhi. The Supreme Court has currently refused to grant bail to Delhi riots accused Sharjeel Imam, but the court has directed the Delhi High Court to hear his petition soon. Justice Bela Trivedi and Justice S. C. Sharma’s bench said that the petitioner should not have filed the petition directly in the Supreme Court while his petition was pending in the High Court. Sharjeel’s lawyer, Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave, argued in the court that his bail application is pending in the High Court since 2022, and the hearing on it has been postponed several times for two years. Dave also clarified that at the current stage they are not pressing for bail. On this, the judges said that the day of hearing has been fixed in the High Court on 25th November and the lawyers can request the court for early hearing on that day.
#BREAKING No relief to Delhi riots accused Sharjeel Imam from Supreme Court, bail plea rejected#Delhi , #SupremeCourt pic.twitter.com/Vzu4h1YcX8
— NDTV India (@ndtvindia) October 25, 2024
What did the Supreme Court say?
The Supreme Court bench said, “This is a petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, so we are not inclined to interfere in it. The petitioner will have the liberty to apply for urgent hearing of the matter in the High Court, and the High Court will consider it.”
What is the whole matter?
Sharjeel Imam is accused of conspiring in the communal riots that broke out in North-East Delhi in 2020 during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). A case was registered against him under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Sharjeel was arrested on January 28, 2020, and since then the case is pending, with charges yet to be framed. Initially Sharjeel approached the trial court for bail, but his application was rejected. After this he appealed in the Delhi High Court in April 2022, but since then no final decision has been taken on this.
