Delhi High Court Issues Notice On Sharjeel Imam's Plea Seeking Access To E-Record To Complete PhD
The Delhi High Court today sought the response of jail authorities on a plea by student activist Sharjeel Imam, who is in custody in a February 2020 northeast Delhi riots case, seeking access to research material stored on a pen drive to complete his PhD.
Justice Sanjeev Narula issued notice to the jail authorities and directed them to file a status report in the matter. The Court fixed November 2 for next hearing.
Imam has sought access to research material on a pen drive using a standalone computer inside the prison premises, without any internet connectivity and under the supervision of Tihar jail staff.
Imam's counsel said he has been in custody since January 2020 and was in the final year of his PhD at the time of his arrest. His synopsis has been approved by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), he added.
The special public prosecutor for Delhi Police said the state has not opposed the plea even before the trial court and only the jail authorities have objected to the pen drive and not to books before the trial court.
The prosecutor said the prayer could be allowed under the supervision of jail authorities if the accused is ready to show the material he was seeking to access.
Imam was arrested on August 25, 2020, and booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for being one of the "masterminds" of the February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi that left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.
The case under the anti-terror UAPA law concerns the alleged "larger conspiracy" behind the 2020 riots.
The violence erupted during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, and the National Register of Citizens.
With PTI Inputs