Imam’s lawyer, advocate Ibrahim, told The Indian Express, “The status report... is completely obnoxious. On July 20, CCTV footage will be played in court and the truth will come out." (File)Tihar Jail authorities told a Delhi court that JNU student Sharjeel Imam filed a “false complaint of assault” against jail officials to keep his name in media reports and use that to secure bail in the Northeast Delhi riots UAPA case registered against him.
Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat observed that Imam had stated that he otherwise feels safe inside his present cell but does not know why the incident occurred.
Imam had alleged the Assistant Superintendent along with “8-9 convicts came to the cell of the applicant in the name of carrying out a search” and during this “illegal search, petitioner’s books, clothes were thrown and he was assaulted and called terrorist and anti-national when he prevented them from throwing stuff”.
Authorities, in their status report filed in court, claimed Imam threatened to file false complaints against officials and they issued a punishment against him for breaching jail rules. They also claimed “during hearing of the punishment, the accused stated he moved a false complaint before Honourable court in order to keep his name highlighted in the media… and the said reports will help him in securing bail.”
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Imam’s lawyer, advocate Ibrahim, told The Indian Express, “The status report… is completely obnoxious. On July 20, CCTV footage will be played in court and the truth will come out. Sharjeel was present in court today and told the court about the tactics jail authorities use to control inmates, to make sure no inmate approaches the court again.”
Imam’s application on the alleged assault had also stated that a search cannot be carried out by jail staff with the help of convicts. The superintendent of Central Jail number 1, however, denied that a search operation cannot be carried out by convicts and only by Tamil Nadu Special Police (TSP) and competent staff.
Authorities explained that the superintendent shall appoint “suitable, well behaved, medically fit, disciplined and dedicated convicts and undertrials as prisoner functionaries to help prison staff in performance of various duties connected with smooth management of various activities”.
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