Delhi court rejects Sharjeel Imam’s bail plea

New Delhi: A court here on Saturday dismissed the plea of student activist Sharjeel Imam seeking bail on the grounds that he had been in custody for the last four years, which was more than half of the maximum sentence prescribed for the offence.

The court directed to continue Imam’s custody, saying the present case was “different” from other cases because of the nature of allegations against Imam and his “disruptive activities which finally resulted in the riots”.

Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai was hearing Imam’s plea seeking bail under 436A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), saying he was in custody since January 28, 2020, while the maximum sentence for the offence under section 13 (punishment for unlawful activities) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act is seven years, if convicted.