'Umar Khalid not my guru, never spoke to him at JNU': Sharjeel Imam

The hearing comes days after Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid were denied bail by the Supreme Court in the 2020 Delhi riots case

Jailed activist Sharjeel Imam on Thursday told a Delhi court that the police’s claim that Umar Khalid was his mentor or guru is wrong. He added that the two did not have any meaningful interaction while studying at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Bar and Bench reported.

 

“In my five years at JNU, I never spoke to Umar Khalid. I don’t know what coordination they [police] are talking about. To establish a conspiracy, it is necessary to show the agreement between us. But they have failed to show any agreement,” he said through his defence.

 

Imam claimed that the police have not produced any material to prove coordination or planning between the two.

 

 

The submissions were made during arguments on the framing of charges in the Delhi riots conspiracy case. The court is currently deciding whether charges should be framed against the accused, the news report said.

 

Claim of ‘instruction’ also denied

 

Imam’s counsel also rejected the allegation that Khalid had instructed or guided Imam. “There is only one meeting in which Umar and I are seen together. But even the witness statement from that meeting shows that there was no discussion of violence,” he said.

 

The Delhi police have accused Imam, Khalid and several others of being involved in terror activities and of conspiring to trigger violence during the February 2020 Delhi riots. The police have invoked provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the case.   

 

Imam claims he 'supported non-violence'

 

Imam’s counsel also told the court that his client never supported violent protests. "My chats, my pamphlets and my speeches... Their case is that I wanted violence, that I wanted the riots and the killing of people. But there is no discussion of any violence in any of my meetings. In fact, I have talked about non-violence," he said.

 

Supreme Court denies bail to Khalid, Imam

 

On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to grant bail to Khalid and Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case.

 

The court said there was enough evidence to invoke the UAPA against them. It also ruled that the two cannot file a fresh bail application for one year.

 

Referring to the UAPA as a special law with strict bail conditions, the Bench observed, “Section 43D(5) of UAPA departs from general provisions for grant of bail. It does not exclude judicial scrutiny or mandate denial of bail in default.”

 

2020 Delhi riots case

 

Riots broke out in Delhi in February 2020 amid protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. At least 53 people were killed and hundreds were injured in the violence.

 

The Delhi police alleged that Imam, Khalid and others were part of a larger conspiracy behind the riots. They have been charged under several provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the UAPA. Umar Khalid was arrested in September 2020.