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The Supreme Court of India, on Friday, issued a directive to the Delhi High Court to expedite the hearing of the bail plea filed by student activist Sharjeel Imam in connection with a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) related to the Delhi riots of February 2020. The bench comprising Justices Bela M Trivedi and S C Sharma expressed a reluctance to entertain the petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, which also sought bail.
Imam's legal counsel, senior advocate Siddharth Dave, argued that the bail plea had been pending since 2022, although he clarified that he was not pressing for bail at this juncture. The Supreme Court acknowledged that the High Court was scheduled to hear the case on November 25th. In light of this, the bench ruled that while they would not entertain the Article 32 petition, Imam would be at liberty to request the High Court to expedite the hearing of his bail application, ideally on November 25th. They emphasized that the High Court should consider this request.
Imam, along with several others, was charged under the stringent provisions of the UAPA and the Indian Penal Code for allegedly orchestrating a 'larger conspiracy' behind the February 2020 riots. These riots, which resulted in the tragic deaths of 53 people and over 700 injuries, erupted during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Source: Delhi riots 2020: Expeditiously hear Sharjeel Imam bail plea in UAPA case, SC tells Delhi HC