The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted bail to Sharjeel Imam in a sedition and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) case filed against him for making inflammatory speeches in Delhi’s Jamia area and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).
The court passed the order after taking into account the fact that he has already served half of the sentence for the offences invoked against him. It was Imam’s argument that he had already spent four years in jail out of the maximum sentence of seven years and is, therefore, eligible for statutory bail.
Imam had challenged a Feb 17 order of the trial court which had denied him bail while observing that the contents of Imam’s speeches given at Jamia Millia Islamia and AMU, could be termed seditious in the dictionary meaning.
Imam will, however, continue to remain in jail since he is also an accused in the larger conspiracy case in relation to the anti-Hindu Delhi riots of 2020. He has been in custody since January 28, 2020 in the matter.
As per Section 436-A CrPC, a person can be released from custody if he has spent more than half of the maximum sentence prescribed for the offence.
