Court seeks Tihar jail officials' presence in case involving Sharjeel Imam

Imam had alleged that he was assaulted and called a terrorist during a security check inside the Tihar jail premises on June 30.

Sharjeel Imam
Former JNU student Sharjeel Imam (Source: facebook)
Press Trust of India New Delhi
2 min read Last Updated : Jul 23 2022 | 5:30 PM IST

A Delhi court on Saturday directed Tihar jail officials to appear before it on August 1 during the hearing on the matter related to the alleged assault on former JNU student Sharjeel Imam on prison premises.

Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat passed the directions after watching the CCTV footage submitted by Tihar jail authorities related to the alleged incident.

During the hearing, the judge observed that prima facie, it was not an assault. But the counsel said that pushing, shoving and slapping were within the ambit of assault.

Imam had alleged that he was assaulted and called a terrorist during a security check inside the Tihar jail premises on June 30. He claimed he was shoved and thrashed by some 'sewadars' inside his corner room cell.

Sewadars are inmates who assist the jail staff.

The assault revealed the intention of the jail administration, he said in his application.

"Though the Assistant Superintendent was present, he did nothing to defuse the situation," Sharjeel said.

Imam's counsel Ahmad Ibrahim said that according to the affidavit of jail authorities, the deputy superintendent was present during the incident.

This was a lie as he was not seen anywhere in the footage. Also, the footage showed that there was no supervision of the sewadars while they were conducting the search, the counsel said.

The judge posted the matter for August 1 and asked Tihar Jail officials, including the Jail Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent, to remain physically present.

Delhi Police had filed a charge sheet against Imam in the case, in which it alleged that he gave speeches inciting hatred, contempt, and disaffection towards the central government and instigated the people which led to the violence in December 2019.

Imam is in custody since January 2020 in connection with the cases related to alleged seditious speeches at various places during protests against the CAA and NRC.

He is also an accused in a case related to the larger conspiracy of the North-East Delhi riots of February 2020.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Quarterly Starter

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

Save 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online

  • Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

Topics :Delhi courtTihar jailassault

First Published: Jul 23 2022 | 5:30 PM IST

Next Story