By Kavita Mistry 
Last Updated:
Sharjeel Imam, former JNU student leader and 2020 Delhi riots accused, seeks interim bail from a Delhi court to contest Bihar Assembly elections from Bahadurganj in Kishanganj.
Sharjeel Imam, former student of JNU. (File/PTI)
Former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader and activists Sharjeel Imam, an accused in multiple cases linked to the 2020 Delhi riots, has approached a Delhi court seeking interim bail to contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
Reportedly, Imam has expressed his intention to contest as an independent candidate from the Bahadurganj constituency in Bihar’s Kishanganj district.
Imam, currently lodged in Tihar Jail, was arrested in January 2020 on charges of sedition for his alleged inflammatory speeches during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests.
Imam and the rest of the accused were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or UAPA, and provisions of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the 2020 riots, which left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.
The violence erupted during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA, and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
October 13, 2025, 17:26 IST
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