A Delhi court has ordered the framing of charges against Sharjeel Imam in the Jamia Millia violence case, nearly five years after his arrest on charges of sedition and delivering inflammatory speeches during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
In its ruling on March 10 evening, the Saket court described Imam as the “kingpin of a larger conspiracy” and referred to his speech on December 13, 2019, as “venomous” and “intended to incite hatred.” The court specifically highlighted meetings Imam held with Jamia Millia students and other protesters on December 13, at 2 pm and 7 pm, which allegedly led to traffic jams and rioting on public roads.
On December 13, 2019, at around 7 pm, Sharjeel Imam addressed a crowd outside Gate No. 7 of Jamia University, delivering a 10-minute inflammatory speech in which he labeled the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) as “anti-Muslim.”
The court stated that Imam organized these public meetings and distributed provocative leaflets in areas such as Munirka, Nizamuddin, Shaheen Bagh, and Jamia Nagar with the intent to provoke the Muslim community and incite violence against the CAA. His speeches, the court claimed, aimed to stir up unrest and pressure the government.
The outcome of these actions, the court noted, was widespread violence across Delhi, including arson, vandalism of public property like Delhi Transport Corporation buses, damage to police and private vehicles, and incidents of stone-throwing.
The court noted that at least 10 police officials were injured by the mob incited by Sharjeel Imam, but it also acknowledged that there was no evidence to suggest an intention to kill.
It further observed that Imam’s speeches were “craftily cloaked,” as he was a PhD student at Jawaharlal Nehru University, deliberately avoiding direct mention of communities beyond Muslims. However, the court pointed out that the intended target of the sit-in protests, or “chukka jam,” were members of other communities.
The court emphasized that Imam’s speech was designed to stir anger and hatred, leading to widespread violence by an unlawful assembly on public roads. It described his speech as “venomous” and stated that it incited division, portraying it as hate speech aimed at pitting one religion against another.
The court also briefly addressed and rejected Sharjeel Imam’s argument, which included the claim that he could not be charged with promoting enmity between religious groups in this case, as a similar charge had been levied in another instance.
Imam had surrendered to the Delhi Police on January 28, 2020, after multiple cases were filed against him, including a sedition case in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, and another charge related to promoting enmity between religions in Delhi.
In addition to these charges, the police framed charges under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which were the basis for the Saket court’s decision this evening.
Imam’s arrest and the cases filed against him drew widespread condemnation from politicians, fellow students, and academics, many of whom argued that he had been detained because he was Muslim and had not committed a crime.
A significant portion of the controversy stemmed from a section of Imam’s speech on the NRC in January 2020, where he called on protesters in Assam to blockade the Siliguri Corridor, a critical land link connecting northeast India to the rest of the country. This remark led to a case being filed against him by Manipur Police.
In May 2024, Imam was granted bail by the Delhi High Court in connection with the CAA-related speeches. However, he remained in Guwahati Central Jail in Assam, as he had also been arrested in relation to another case.
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