Activist Sharjeel Imam walked out of jail on Friday after a Delhi court granted him interim bail for 10 days, nearly six years after his arrest, in connection with the 2020 northeast Delhi riots conspiracy case.
The relief was granted by Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai at the Karkardooma Court. During the hearing, Imam’s counsel told the court that his brother’s wedding is scheduled for March 25 and that he plays a crucial role in supporting his family.
The development comes weeks after the Supreme Court of India, in January, refused to grant bail to Imam and co-accused Umar Khalid in the same case. The court had then observed that the prosecution had placed enough material on record to make out a prima facie case pointing to their alleged involvement in a larger conspiracy.
Imam is among several individuals accused in the case related to the communal violence that broke out in northeast Delhi in February 2020, leaving 53 people dead and hundreds injured.
While denying bail earlier this year, the Supreme Court had granted relief to five other accused, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed, noting that the allegations against them were distinct from those levelled against Imam and Khalid.
Imam’s release is temporary. He has been directed to surrender before the court on March 30, as proceedings in the case continue. Arrested in January 2020 in the northeast Delhi violence conspiracy case, Sharjeel Imam has since been held under strict anti-terror provisions, with this marking his first release in several years.
