Delhi riots: SC asks Delhi HC to decide Sharjeel Imam’s bail plea expeditiously

New Delhi [India], October 25 (ANI): The Supreme Court asks the Delhi High Court to decide expeditiously the bail plea of Sharjeel Imam booked under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the Delhi riots case in February 2020.

A bench of Justices Bela Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma declined to entertain the bail plea of Imam as it had been filed directly before the Supreme Court under Article 32 of the Constitution seeking bail.

“We are not inclined to entertain the Article 32 plea. The same is dismissed,” said the bench.

However, the apex court asked the Delhi High Court to expeditiously decide Imam’s bail plea pending before it.

Senior advocate Siddhartha Dave, appearing for Imam, told the bench that they are not pressing for bail but said the bail petition has been pending for hearing since April 2022.

The petition was listed for hearing more than 60 times before seven different benches, he said.

The Delhi High Court on September 4 rejected Imam’s request seeking an early hearing of his bail.

In 2020, the Delhi police arrested Imam under the UAPA and named him as the main conspirator behind the Delhi riots case.