Student Activist Seeks Interim Bail for Bihar Elections

Student activist Sharjeel Imam, embroiled in the 2020 riots conspiracy case, is pursuing a 14-day interim bail. His objective: to file his nomination and campaign in the rapidly approaching Bihar assembly elections.

In a plea submitted to Additional Sessions Judge Sammer Bajpai, Imam, originally from Jehanabad, Bihar, outlined his situation. Arrested on August 25, 2020, during his PhD studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, he has remained in custody since.

Imam, describing himself as a political prisoner and student activist, is determined to enter the election race from the Bahdaruganj assembly seat as an Independent candidate. Citing no one else to manage his election campaign and take care of his nomination, other than his younger brother, who is also caregiving for their ailing mother, Imam's plea aligns his request with similar precedents, such as the September 2024 interim bail granted to Engineer Abdul Rashid for campaigning in Jammu and Kashmir.

(With inputs from agencies.)