Sharjeel Imam granted bail in Jamia violence case

New Delhi, Dec 9 (IANS) A Delhi court on Thursday granted bail to JNU scholar and activist Sharjeel Imam in a 2019 violence case registered at Jamia Nagar Police Station.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Dinesh Kumar of Saket court, in the order, said that "considering the nature of offence, and the fact that he was not arrested during the investigation, the application is allowed."

He was granted bail subject to him furnishing a bail bond in the sum of Rs 25,000 with one surety of like amount.

The FIR was registered at Jamia Nagar Police Station related to the violence in Jamia on December 13-14, 2019.

Imam is still in judicial custody in connection with other cases. His counsel Mustafa represented him during the course of the hearing.

According to the FIR, Imam was charged under various IPC sections for offences of rioting and unlawful assembly.

Also, noting the absence of the Investigating Officer (IO) during the hearing, the court fined the IO Rs 2,000 and asked him to supply the copy of the main charge sheet by the next hearing to the accused who have not receive it so far.

On December 1, the High Court had issued notice to the prosecution on the bail application filed by him in another case.In the HC, Sharjeel had claimed that he was not one of the accused initially named in the FIR, but the police made him a party on the basis of a disclosure statement given by co-accused Md Furkan, who was allegedly instigated by his speeches.

He also claimed that he was targeted by the prosecution and was a victim of targeted persecution.

Various FIRs have been registered against Imam, including alleged inflammatory speeches at Jamia Millia Islamia on December 13, 2019, and at Aligarh Muslim University on December 16, 2019. He has been in judicial custody since January 2020.

Now three more cases are pending against him in the national capital.