SC notice to UP, Assam on plea seeking to club cases against JNU student Sharjeel Imam
May 26, 2020
New Delhi [India], May 26 : Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notices to the states of Uttar Pradesh, Assam and others on a petition filed by JNU student Sharjeel Imam seeking to club all FIRs against him and have them investigated by a single probe agency.
A bench of the apex court headed by Justice UU Lalit also granted more time to Delhi Police to file a detailed response in the matter and fixed the matter for further hearing after a week.
Lawyer of Sharjeel Imam sought relief citing the example of Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami case. "In Arnab case, all FIRs were cyclostyled," Imam's counsel said.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought more time to file a reply on the matter saying that the accused, Sharjeel Imam, is facing charges in several states.
Mehta said that he will file a reply in the case tomorrow and added that the apex court should issue notices to all the parties in the matter.
"Notice only to NCT of Delhi is not enough. Other states where the accused made alleged speeches should also be made parties," he said.
This comes as Delhi Police recently slapped sedition and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) charges against Sharjeel Imam and alleged that he gave a speech that "promoted enmity" between people that led to riots in and around Delhi's JMI University on December 15.
According to the police, riots had broken out "in consequence to the protest march organised by Jamia students" against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in New Friends Colony and Jamia Nagar area in December last year.
