New Delhi:The Kakardooma District Court here on Saturday ordered directions for the recording of prosecution evidence from March 28 onwards in the sedition case pressed against Sharjeel Imam during the anti-CAA protests. During the earlier hearing itself, the bench headed by Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat had indicated for the matter to be heard on a daily basis. Sharjeel Imam, who was physically produced in the court today, replied in the negative when asked about the documents relied upon and filed by the prosecution to be legitimate.
On March 15, the court had framed Imam for sedition and other charges for alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at Jamia area in Delhi in December 2019 and at Aligarh Muslim University in January 2020 during anti CAA protests. Before that, on February 4, the Delhi Police had filed a second supplementary charge sheet against Sharjeel under the same implications, while his bail plea was rejected by the court on January 24 and listed for further hearing on 26 March 2022.
The court had framed charges against Imam under Sections 124A (Sedition), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, etc.), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 13 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Additionally, the court also deferred Imam's bail plea in the northeast Delhi violence case for 30 March, while also scheduling the order on Khalid Saifi's bail plea to be pronounced on March 31.
The accused Sharjeel was arrested from Bihar in 2020 for organizing the anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh in December 2019. The charge sheet filed against him by the Delhi Police during the arrest stated that Imam had allegedly 'made inflammatory remarks against the central government, with an intention to spread hatred and incite a particular section of the community to indulge in unlawful activities, detrimental to sovereignty and integrity of the nation.' The Delhi Police had further alleged 'a deep conspiracy hatched under the guise of protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act.'
Also read:Hate speech case: Delhi HC issues notice on Sharjeel Imam's bail plea
