The Delhi High Court on Tuesday ordered a trial court here to decide by next month a plea by student activist Sharjeel Imam seeking bail in connection with a 2020 communal riots case involving allegations of sedition and unlawful activities.
Mr. Imam has sought bail on the grounds that he has been in custody for the past four years and the maximum sentence for the offence under Section 13 (punishment for unlawful activities) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act is seven years. He said he has undergone more than half of the maximum sentence prescribed for the offence and is entitled to bail under the provision.
According to Section 436-A CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure), a person can be released from custody if he has spent more than half of the maximum sentence prescribed for the offence.
During the hearing, Mr. Imam’s counsel informed the court that there are a total of 43 prosecution witnesses in the case, out of which 22 have been examined till now.
This story was originally published in thehindu.com. Read the full story here .