NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Monday in its order granted bail to activist and student Sharjeel Imam in a sedition and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) case for allegedly making inflammatory speeches in Delhi's Jamia area and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).
But the Delhi HC order did not ensure Imam release from jail, as he has to continue to remain in jail since he is also an accused in the larger criminal conspiracy case in connection to the Delhi riots case of 2020.
While allowing bail to Imam, a two-judge bench of the Delhi HC, headed by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain granted him bail after noting and taking into account the fact that he has already served half of the sentence for the offences invoked against him.
According to the prosecution case, Imam allegedly made speeches at AMU and Jamia area while protesting against the Centre's Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizenship (NRC).
Imam, arrested in January 2020, approached the delhi High Court, after a trial court denied him bail in the sedition case.
The accused, Imam, in his petition before the HC, submitted that he had already spent four years in jail out of the maximum sentence of seven years and is, therefore, eligible for statutory bail.
He also elaborated that the offence of sedition has been kept in abeyance by the Supreme Court and the UAPA provisions invoked against him do not carry more than seven years of jail, so thereby he should be enlarged on bail by the court.