Sharjeel Imam’s plea: Supreme Court says cannot pass orders staying prosecution

The Supreme Court has refused to grant a stay on the prosecution of Jawaharlal Nehru University student Sharjeel Imam in different states in connection with the cases of hate speech on CAA and sedition against him.

The apex court had last month sought responses from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh governments on Sharjeel Imam’s plea seeking clubbing of FIRs against him.

The Delhi and Uttar Pradesh governments filed their replies but Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh are yet to file their response.

A two-judge bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and V Ramasubramanian told Sharjeel’s lawyer Siddharth Dave to wait for the other states to submit their responses and declined to club the multiple FIRs.

Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh have sought more time to file their replies.

Dave told the court that there is an urgency in the case given that prosecution against Sharjeel will begin in the states and the court is scheduled to go on vacation in the next week.

“But the case is only for consolidation of FIRs. We cannot pass any other orders,” Justice Bhushan said.

Dave again urged the court to consider the urgency involved. To this, the court replied: “That is not the prayer before us… We cannot pass such an interim order.”

As many as five FIRs have been filed against Sharjeel Imam in different states in connection with two hate speeches given in Delhi and Aligarh during the anti-CAA protests. Sharjeel Imam is currently lodged at a Guwahati jail.