Expedite bail hearing of activist Sharjeel Imam in UAPA case, SC tells Delhi HC

The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Delhi High Court to expedite hearing the bail petition of activist Sharjeel Imam, Bar and Bench reported.

Imam has been charged with conspiracy under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act in connection with the 2020 riots in the national capital.

A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma, however, dismissed the petition filed directly before the Supreme Court under Article 32 of the Constitution.

Article 32 gives citizens the right to directly approach the Supreme Court to enforce their fundamental rights.

The bench had decided to dismiss the plea outright. However, advocate Siddharth Dave, representing Imam, submitted that he was not seeking a bail from the Supreme Court, but was requesting directions to the High Court to hear the matter expeditiously.

Dave said that under Section 21(2) of the National Investigation Agency Act, the High Court must decide an appeal within three months, Live Law reported.

Imam was arrested on January 28, 2020. He was eligible for statutory bail as he had spent four years in jail, while the maximum sentence for his alleged offence in the sedition case is seven years.

Imam’s bail plea, filed before the High Court in April 2022, has been adjourned 64 times, with the petitioner requesting time on eight occasions, Dave said.

The Supreme Court dismissed the petition, asking the High Court to...

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