New Delhi: A Delhi court granted Sharjeel Imam seven days of interim bail on Tuesday, September 22, to attend his cousin’s wedding.
The court granted him interim bail from October 4 to October 10 on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 50,000 with one surety of the like amount.
Imam’s cousins — Danish Imam and Fahad Imam — are scheduled to get married on October 4 in New Delhi and October 7 in Sasaram, Bihar, respectively.
The pre-wedding ceremonies, including mehendi, marwa and haldi, are scheduled to take place at Imam’s family residence in Kako in Bihar’s Jehanabad, from October 1 to 3.
In an order, the court said, “Considering the fact that this is only the second application of the applicant for interim bail and that too for the purpose of attending the marriage of his real cousins, the court deems it appropriate to grant him the desired relief”.
Special Public Prosecutor Anirudh Mishra, appearing for Delhi Police, opposed the plea, submitting that the allegations against Imam were serious and his regular bail applications had been dismissed several times.
He also argued that the Imam’s presence at the weddings was not necessary and said he could seek interim bail repeatedly on the grounds of marriages of his several cousins.
The court, however, noted that the investigating officer had verified the marriages of Danish Imam and Fahad Imam and that they were to be solemnised on October 4 and 7.
The court directed Imam not to contact any witness or person connected with the case and barred him from using social media or coming in contact with any media person during the interim bail period.
This is a major relief for the former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student and activist, who, along with Umar Khalid, has spent six years in Tihar Jail. The young men were arrested by the Delhi Police, who accused them of instigating the 2020 Delhi riots, leaving over 40 Muslims dead, several injured and displaced.
The interim bail comes days before the Delhi High Court is scheduled to hear their regular bail pleas on September 30.
With PTI inputs
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