Delhi court extends Sharjeel Imam's custody by 3 days in Delhi riots case

A Delhi court on Monday extended the police custody of JNU scholar Sharjeel Imam, arrested under a stringent anti-terror law, by three more days in connection with the Delhi riots case.

On August 26, Additional Session Judge Amitabh Rawat had sent Imam to four-days police custody and was produced before the court today at the end of his remand period.

During the course of proceedings, the Delhi Police sought his custody for seven more days to further question him, confront with huge technical data, unearth deep rooted conspiracy and to collect clinching evidence to nab the remaining conspirators behind the riots.

Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad told the court that during the course of investigation, name of more suspects have come out and Imam is required to be questioned at length about those suspects to obtain their exact particulars.

The Special Public Prosecutor also claimed that the Imam gave evasive replies to the questions during the last police remand and did not lend support during the investigation.

Allowing the police's application for the police custody, the Additional Session Judge stated, "I deem it fit to allow the present application for seeking police custody remand of the accused Sharjeel Imam. However, it is granted only for a period of three days and not seven days as sought. Accordingly, three days police custody remand of the accused namely Sharjeel Imam is given to the IO."

The judge said that the accused should be medically examined every 24 hours and also allowed his counsel Advocate Surbhi Dhar to confer with him for a period not exceeding half an hour at the beginning of the police custody and after every 48 hours during police custody remand.

"The concerned police officials shall ensure that they remain outside the audible range during the said period. Needless to state that the accused and his counsel shall follow the necessary distancing protocols in view of the outbreak of Covid-19," the judge added.

On August 25, the Special Cell of Delhi Police had arrested Imam in connection with the riots under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. He was brought back to the capital city from Assam two day before that on a production warrant.

Imam had come into the limelight for his speech in Delhi's Jamia Millia against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens on December 13 and subsequently on January 16 at Aligarh Muslim University, where he allegedly threatened to "cut off" Assam and the rest of the northeast from the country.

Delhi Police on July 25 had filed a charge sheet against Imam in connection with a case related to his alleged inflammatory speeches during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at several places.

The 600-page charge sheet was filed, under section 124A (Sedition), 153(A) (Promoting enmity), 153 (Assertion prejudicial to national integration) (promoting enmity, Hatred between different communities, 505 (spreading rumours) IPC and Section 13 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, in Delhi's Patiala House court.

--IANS

aka/rt