Neither participated in nor encouraged any violence: Sharjeel Imam in bail plea
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On 28th January 2020, Sharjeel surrendered in front of Delhi Police at his native Village Kako in Jehanabad.
JNU student Sharjeel Imam moved a bail plea in the Delhi Court explaining he neither participated in or encouraged any violence in any protest or demonstration. Imam was charged under sec. 124A, 153A, 505 of the Indian Penal Code along with sec. 13 of the UAPA for his allegedly "inflammatory speeches" at Jamia Millia Islamia on December 13, 2019, and Aligarh Muslim University on December 16, 2019. He is in judicial custody since January 28, 2020.
His advocate Tanveer Ahmed Mir read parts of his speech and claimed that they do not fall within the meaning of sedition.
"Where is the call of violence? How does Sedition come into play? The context is to block the roads. How is this seditious? He called for a greater federal structure. That was the intent," advocate Mir said. He further added that the investigating authority had taken parts of his speech and given it an illegal context.
"Imam spoke about cutting off some cities. When the call rail roko is not seditious, why is the call of bringing the country to a standstill seditious?" Mir asked while adding that there is neither any incitement to violence nor any incidents of violence in Imam's speeches.
"If somebody is a critic of a constitutional policy, does that enable the State to book him for sedition?," Mir posed to the court.
Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat, who heard the plea, posted the matter for August 2.
"In the garb of CAA, he (Imam) exhorted people of a particular community to block highways leading to major cities and resort to ''chakka jaam''. Also, in the name of opposing CAA, he openly threatened to cut off Assam and other Northeastern states from the rest of the country," the charge sheet filed by the Delhi Police against Imam said.