Supreme Court Urges Delhi High Court to Expedite Bail Hearing for Sharjeel Imam in UAPA Case

New Delhi – In a significant development on Friday, the Supreme Court directed the Delhi High Court to expedite the hearing of the bail plea for student activist Sharjeel Imam, who is embroiled in an Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) case linked to the violent riots in Delhi in February 2020. The bench, comprising Justices Bela M. Trivedi and S.C. Sharma, stated that it was not inclined to entertain Imam’s bail plea under Article 32 of the Constitution at this stage. Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, representing Imam, informed the court that the bail application had been pending since 2022 but clarified that he was not pressing for bail at the current moment.

The Supreme Court acknowledged that the Delhi High Court is scheduled to hear the matter on November 25 and encouraged Imam's legal team to request an expedited review. "This being a writ petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, we are not inclined to entertain the same. However, petitioner shall be at liberty to request the high court to hear the bail application as expeditiously as possible, preferably on November 25," the bench stated.

Sharjeel Imam, along with several others, has been charged under the stringent provisions of the UAPA and the Indian Penal Code, accused of being the alleged “masterminds” behind a larger conspiracy that incited the February 2020 riots, which tragically resulted in the deaths of 53 individuals and injuries to over 700 others. The unrest was sparked amid widespread protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). As the case unfolds, all eyes remain on the upcoming hearing in the Delhi High Court, where the fate of Imam's bail plea hangs in the balance, reflecting broader concerns regarding civil liberties and the use of stringent anti-terror laws in India.