Supreme Court adjourns hearing on Sharjeel Imam's plea seeking to club all FIRs filed against him

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing on a plea by JNU student Sharjeel Imam, seeking to club all FIRs filed against him for his alleged offences of sedition and hate speech during the anti-CAA protests in Delhi.

A Bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan adjourned the matter for two weeks after Imam's counsel sought time to file additional documents in the case.

"Further developments have happened. We have to inspect court files but due to closure of courts, we have not been able to do that. Chargesheets have been filed in matters that are connected to our case. We need to inspect court files but courts are not allowing us to do so due to lockdown," Imam's counsel told the court.

Earlier, the top court had sought response from Assam, Manipur, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh on Imam's plea.

In his plea, Imam has also sought transfer of all criminal cases against him to the national capital and probe by a single agency.

The plea said that five FIRs have been registered against him in different states in connection with two speeches given in Delhi and in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.

It said FIRs are lodged against Imam in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh and he has been booked under sedition charges.

Imam has been booked for his alleged role in violence at Jamia Millia Islamia University in the aftermath of protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).

Aside from sedition (section 124 A of the Indian Penal Code) and hate speech (section 153A), Imam was booked under section 13 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), a law aimed at punishing those involved in terrorism and activities intended to bring about the secession of any part of the country.

Imam, in a speech delivered at Aligarh Muslim University on January 16, had said Assam should be "cut off" from the rest of the country but he later clarified he was calling for blocking roads leading to Assam as part of protests against CAA.