Delhi Court Declines to Cancel Sharjeel Imam’s Interim Bail

A Delhi court on October 10 declined to cancel Sharjeel Imam’s interim bail, although it said video clips apparently showed him in the room during his brother’s media interview and indicated a breach of a bail condition. The judge’s decision relied in part on Imam’s expected surrender that evening; the reports do not establish whether he surrendered. Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai, hearing the state’s request to cancel the bail, said the clips showed Imam and others in the same room as the interview. The court considered the relevant portions to have been filmed in the same room at nearly the same time, and said Imam was apparently present while a media representative interviewed his brother. Imam’s interim bail order barred him from contacting media or using social media. The court said the circumstances apparently showed he had breached that condition, but declined to cancel the bail because he was expected to surrender at the jail that evening. His counsel told the court he had boarded a flight to Delhi and would surrender on arrival. The prosecution relied on video clips posted online, including footage of Imam’s brother being interviewed.