Never in speech did I call for any violence Sharjeel argues in court
New Delhi JNU student Sharjeel Imam arrested for allegedly making inflammatory speeches during the protests against CAA and NRC told a Delhi court on Monday that he cannot be hammered with sedition as his speeches did not call for violenceDuring the hearing advocate Tanveer Ahmed Mir representing the accused apprised Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat that no part of his speech had called for any kind of violenceThe speech did not call for violenceHe emphasised that Sharjeel is not a member of any banned organisation or terrorist gang but is merely a studentIn the garb of CAA he Sharjeel exhorted people of a particular community to block highways leading to major cities and resort to chakka jaam
New Delhi JNU student Sharjeel Imam arrested for allegedly making inflammatory speeches during the protests against CAA and NRC told a Delhi court on Monday that he cannot be hammered with sedition as his speeches did not call for violenceImam has moved for bail in a case related to speeches made by him at two universities in 2019 where he allegedly threatened to cut off Assam and the rest of the Northeast from India He has been arrested under UAPA andseditionDuring the hearing advocate Tanveer Ahmed Mir representing the accused apprised Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat that no part of his speech had called for any kind of violenceWhen Sharjeel Imam says that this piece of legislation CAANRC is unconstitutional and seeks to persuade the government to rethink and says if you dont do it we will be on the streets he cannot be hammered by sedition the counsel assertedHe further said that the right to protest the right to blockade and the right to bring the country to a standstill are not equal to an act of seditionThe speech did not call for violence He just called for a road blockade He did not say that the northeast should become a different state and declare independence That would have been seditious advocate Mir addedHe emphasised that Sharjeel is not a member of any banned organisation or terrorist gang but is merely a studentThe alleged inflammatory speeches were made at Jamia Millia Islamia on December 13 2019 and at Aligarh Muslim University on December 16 2019 He is in judicial custody since January 28 2020Sharjeel is accused of offenses relating to sedition promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion race place of birth imputations prejudicial to national integration and public mischief under the Indian Penal Code and indulging in unlawful activities under the UAPAIn their chargesheet in the case the Delhi Police have chosen to argue that Sharjeels speeches incited hatred contempt and disaffection towards the Government of the day which led to the violence in December 2019 according to the policeIn the garb of CAA he Sharjeel exhorted people of a particular community to block highways leading to major cities and resort to chakka jaam Also in the name of opposing CAA he openly threatened to cut off Assam and other Northeastern states from the rest of the country the charge sheet had said
