Tihar jail authorities assure enquiry into Sharjeel Imam's allegations of assault inside prison
Jul 05, 2022
New Delhi [India], July 5 : After former JNU student Sharjeel Imam filed a plea in Delhi court alleging assault in the Tihar jail where he is lodged in an alleged conspiracy behind the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots, prison officials on Tuesday said they will "enquire into his allegation".
Imam, on Monday, moved a Delhi court alleging harassment and assault by Tihar Jail officials.
He, through his lawyer Ahmad Ibrahim, alleged that the Assistant Superintendent of Tihar Jail along with 8-9 convicts had entered his cell in the garb of a search assaulted him and called him a terrorist and anti-national.
The Additional Session Judge Amitabh Rawat on Monday sought a response from Tihar Jail Authorities and kept the matter for July 14 for a detailed hearing.
Imam's application to Karkardooma Court read, "On June 30, at around 7:30 PM, the Assistant Superintendant along with 8-9 convicts came to the cell of the applicant in the name of carrying out a search. The search operation is not permissible by the convicts and can only be carried out by competent staff. During the aforesaid search, the petitioner's books and clothes were thrown away, assaulted and called a terrorist and an anti-national when he tried to protect his belongings."
Sharjeel sought direction to the concerned authorities to take appropriate steps to protect him of any assault and harassment in the future.
On June 10, a Delhi court adjourned the order on the interim bail plea of Sharjeel Imam in the sedition case. The court is likely to pronounce the order on July 7, 2022.
Imam has been accused of making inflammatory speeches against the government on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and National Register of Citizens (NRC), particularly at Jamia Milia Islamia University in December 2019, which allegedly led to violence in the area outside the university.
He is facing sedition charges for his alleged inflammatory speeches and is in judicial custody since January 2020.
The Supreme Court had in May directed that Section 124A, IPC, be kept in abeyance and asked the Centre as well as the state governments to refrain from registering any case for the offence of sedition under this section.
