Students and activists say given just hrs to read 18,000-page chargesheet

New Delhi: Several accused booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the "main conspiracy" case related to the north-east Delhi riots have told a local court that even though the Delhi Police had uploaded the nearly 18,000-page chargesheet against them in Tihar computers, prison authorities were only giving them half and hour to three hours to read it.

This comes after a months-long battle to get a copy of the chargesheet which was filed last year.

Some of the other accused, who have got access to it, sought the court's directions to the jail authorities for a uniform time limit, preferably more than an hour a day, for reading the bulky 18,000-page charge sheet on the computer system in prison.

Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat has put up the matter for further hearing on February 2.

During the hearing held through video conferencing, accused Khalid Saifi, Shifa Ur-Rehman, and Shadab Ahmed claimed that the charge sheet has been uploaded to the jail computer as per the court's orders but they have not been given access to it.

Police officials have uploaded the charge sheet in the computer but the jail authorities have not given me access to it, said Saifi who is lodged in Mandoli prison.

While JNU student Sharjeel Imam claimed he has been given two hours to read the charge sheet, former Congress Councillor Ishrat Jahan said she was given one hour and Jamia Millia Islamia student Asif Iqbal Tanha said he has been given access to the computer for half an hour only.

When the judge asked the Tihar jail authorities, who was present during the video conferencing, about the concerns raised by the accused, he failed to give any answer.

What's the point of uploading it on the computer if the accused cannot access it?... Why are they given different time slots? the judge remarked.

The court had earlier directed the police to upload the soft copy of the charge sheet to the computer in jail after the accused contended that it was difficult to discuss the bulky document during the half-hour legal interview with their lawyers.

Rehman, lodged in Tihar jail, said the prison authorities did not inform him till date that the charge sheet has been uploaded and he can get read it.

Suspended AAP Councillor and co-accused Tahir Hussain claimed he has not been able to read the charge sheet as the computer system was always occupied. The court even expressed displeasure when it came to light that all the accused were not being given a uniform time slot for reading the charge sheet.