Delhi riots: No call for violence, no connection with 'co-conspirators', Sharjeel Imam tells HC

Student activist Sharjeel Imam told the Delhi High Court on Thursday that he had no "connection" with any of the alleged co-conspirators of the communal riots here in February 2020 and that his public speeches repeatedly called for non-violence.

Imam said he has been in custody for more than four years and requested a bench headed by Justice Navin Chawla to grant him bail in the "larger conspiracy" case under the anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Umar Khalid, Imam and several others have been booked under the UAPA and provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the February 2020 riots, which had left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured. The violence had erupted during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).