2019 Jamia violence: HC asks police to reply to Sharjeel Imam’s plea against order to frame charges

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought response of the city police on a plea by activist Sharjeel Imam challenging a trial court’s order to frame charges against him in the 2019 Jamia violence case. Justice Sanjeev Narula also refused to stay the trial court proceedings in the case at this stage. The court issued notice to the police on the main petition as well as on the stay application and listed the matter for further hearing on April 24.

Imam has challenged the trial court’s March 7 order in which it had said that he was not only an instigator but also one of the "kingpins of a larger conspiracy to incite violence" and had ordered to frame charge against him in the case. The trial court had observed that Imam's speech of December 13, 2019 near Jamia Millia Islamia University was a "venomous", "pitted one religion against another" and was "indeed a hate speech". The court was hearing the case against Imam and others against whom a case was registered at the New Friends Colony Police Station under various provisions of the IPC, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act (PDPP) and Arms Act..Delhi Police's Crime Branch is investigating the matter.

The trial court also ordered framing charges under various IPC and PDPP Act provisions against Anal Hussain, Anwar, Yunus and Jumman, saying it was established by a police witness and their mobile phone records that they were part of the riotous mob..The case stems from 2019-2020 protests at Jamia Millia Islamia and Shaheen Bagh following passage of Citizenship Amendment Act in Parliament on December 11, 2019.