Sharjeel seeks bail in riots case, cites lack of connection and prolonged custody

New Delhi: Sharjeel Imam, an accused in a Feb 2020 riots case, argued in Delhi High Courton Thursday that he was "completely disconnected" from the incident and other co-accused, including Umar Khalid.Imam's counsel urged a bench of justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur to show "compassion" in deciding his bail plea and pointed out his long incarceration as an undertrial.His speeches and WhatsApp chats never called for any unrest, the counsel added."This boy has spent more than five years in continuous custody. He is the breadwinner. He has an old, ailing mother and no father," said Imam's counsel, adding that he was not even in the capital after Jan 15, 2020, but was arrested by police from his hometown in Bihar in a separate case. He contended that Imam, as a result, did not partake in any of the "conspiratorial" meetings with others.While the prosecution's conspiracy case was based on messages exchanged among the accused persons, Imam's counsel denied chatting with them, saying he was not in the purported main WhatsApp group where chakka jams were discussed. The WhatsApp group Imam was a part of had no messages that even "remotely incite violence," the lawyer said.Imam's lawyer said his client was already facing prosecution in separate cases alleging sedition and hate speech, in which he was granted bail.As regards the police's allegation that he was involved in the Shaheeen Bagh protest site, the lawyer argued Imam distanced himself from the site on Jan 2, 2020, apprehending the involvement of miscreants, and the present case ought not to be "mixed" with violence that broke out earlier in Jamia Millia Islamia in Dec 2019.