NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Monday granted interim bail to student activist Sharjeel Imam, who is facing charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the alleged conspiracy behind the 2020 North-East Delhi riots “larger conspiracy” case, to attend his brother’s wedding and take care of his ailing mother.
Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma Courts allowed Imam’s plea and granted him interim bail for 10 days, from March 20 to March 30.
Imam, who has been in custody for several years, faces allegations that several student activists involved in organising protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) during 2019–2020 had conspired to engineer the riots that broke out in North-East Delhi in the last week of February 2020.
According to the Delhi Police, the violence was not a spontaneous outbreak but the culmination of a premeditated conspiracy involving mobilisation, road blockades, and coordinated protests aimed at disrupting normal life and drawing international attention during the visit of then US President Donald Trump.