Delhi HC seeks Tihar Jail’s reply on Sharjeel Imam’s plea for PhD study material

The Delhi high court on Monday sought a response from the Tihar Jail authorities on a petition filed by student activist Sharjeel Imam, seeking permission to access research material stored on a pen drive on a computer inside the prison to complete his PhD.

A bench of justice Sanjeev Narula directed the authorities to file a status report and fixed November 2 as the next date of hearing.

In his petition, argued by advocate Ahmed Ibrahim, Imam said he was in the final year of his PhD when he was arrested. He submitted that his PhD synopsis had been approved by the UGC and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), and sought access to research material stored on a pen drive on a computer without internet connectivity.

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Ibrahim told the court that Imam was seeking access to 2,132 files, comprising articles, books and screenshots of archival records.

The Delhi Police’s counsel said the agency had not opposed the request even before the trial court and that the objection had come from the jail authorities. He submitted that access could be permitted under the supervision of jail officials, provided Imam identified the material he intended to access.

Imam was arrested on January 28, 2020 in connection with the riots that erupted in northeast Delhi following protests against CAA. He has been charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), among other offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Arms Act, and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

A Delhi court had last week granted him interim bail in the 2020-North East Delhi riots larger conspiracy case from October 4 to October 10, to permit him to attend his cousin’s wedding.