A Delhi court granted activist Sharjeel Imam a 10-day interim bail in connection with the 2020 northeast Delhi riots conspiracy case, allowing him temporary release after spending nearly six years in custody. He walked out of jail on Friday following the court’s order.
The interim bail has been granted for the period between March 20 and March 30, enabling Imam to attend his brother’s wedding and care for his ailing mother. Visuals from Delhi’s Tihar Jail showed him exiting through Gate No. 3 before being escorted to a waiting vehicle.
This development comes just weeks after the Supreme Court, in January, had refused to grant bail to Imam and co-accused Umar Khalid in the same case. At that time, the court observed that the prosecution had presented sufficient material to establish a prima facie case suggesting their alleged involvement in a broader conspiracy.
Sharjeel Imam is one of several individuals accused in connection with the communal violence that erupted in northeast Delhi in February 2020. The unrest resulted in the deaths of 53 people and left more than 700 others injured.
According to the Delhi Police, which is investigating the matter, the violence was not spontaneous but part of a pre-planned and carefully orchestrated conspiracy aimed at disturbing public order during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The Imam and other accused have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), along with various provisions of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code.
In its January order denying bail to Imam and Khalid, the Supreme Court had, however, granted relief to five other accused—Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan, and Shadab Ahmed—stating that their alleged roles were different in nature compared to those attributed to Imam and Khalid.
Investigators have described some of the accused, including Imam, as key figures or “masterminds” behind the alleged conspiracy, citing speeches and other supporting material as part of their evidence.
Imam’s release is strictly temporary, and he is required to surrender before the court once the 10-day bail period concludes on March 30, as legal proceedings in the case continue.
