[Breaking] SC Issues Notice On Sharjeel Imam's Plea For Consolidation Of FIRs Registered Against Him By Different States

The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice in Sharjeel Imam's plea for consolidation of FIRs filed against him across the country for investigation by a single agency..

A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and Sanjiv Khanna directed the Delhi police to respond to the plea.

The case will be posted next after ten days.

Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for Imam, submitted that all five FIRs registered by different states alleging were based on the same speech given by him. The counsel referred to the recent indulgence shown by the Supreme Court in the case of Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-Chief of Republic TV.

Imam is facing charges of sedition and other grave crimes. Imam is currently lodged at Guwahati Jail. As many as five FIRs in different states had been filed against Sharjeel Imam, a Jawaharlal University Student for a his involvement violence at Jamia on December 13 and 15, 2019, for "instigating and abetting the Jamia riots, due to his seditious speech on December 13" and for a speech he made at Aligarh Muslim University against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act on January 15.

Imam, who was previously one of the organisers of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act protest at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh, is facing charges of sedition, wherein IP 124 & 153A (promoting enmity between classes) were invoked, including section 13 the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

A Delhi court on April 25, extended the period of investigation against him under the UAPA from 90 days to 180 days, which means that the detention of Imam gets extended till the period of investigation. Seeking extension, Delhi's crime branch had sought more time on the ground that anti-coronavirus lockdown had seriously disrupted the pace of the investigation.