New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday partially upheld charges against student leaders Sharjeel Imam, Safoora Zargar and others in the 2019 Jamia violence case overturning the trial court's decision to discharge them. Sources said that the Delhi HC partially overturned trial court order and charged 9 out of 11 accused including Safoora Zargar, Sharjeel Imam under sections related to rioting, unlawful assembly, obstructing public servants and other sections.
Also read: Jamia Nagar violence: HC seeks stand of Sharjeel Imam, others on police challenge to discharge
The Trial Court had on Feb. 4 discharged the 11 accused saying that they were roped in as “scapegoats” after the Delhi Police failed to nab the actual perpetrators. The Delhi Police challenged the decision in the High Court. Earlier, during the hearing held by the Delhi High Court in the case on Mar. 16, Sharjeel and other accused argued in the court that they had conducted a peaceful campaign against the CAA, after which Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma asked Sharjeel along with other defendants to file their written submissions.
The court also directed that along with the arguments, the video and other electronic evidence of the incident should also be kept on record. The case dates back to the violence at Jamia Millia Islamia New Delhi in December 2019in the backdrop of the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Some of the protesting students and locals had planned a march towards the Parliament. However, the protests turned violent after police used force to disperse the protesters. The Delhi Police had initially named 12 accused in the case including Sharjeel Imam, Safoora Zargar and Asif Iqbal Tanha.
