Activist Sharjeel Imam on Thursday rejected claims made by the Delhi Police that fellow activist Umar Khalid acted as his mentor or played any guiding role during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Imam told a Delhi court that there was no coordination or conspiracy between him and Khalid in connection with the protests that preceded the 2020 communal violence in the national capital.
The submissions were made before the Karkardooma District Court, where arguments are currently being heard on whether charges should be framed in the larger alleged conspiracy behind the Delhi riots. Imam’s counsel strongly challenged the prosecution’s narrative, describing it as speculative and unsupported by concrete evidence.
According to the defence, the Delhi Police has attempted to portray a close ideological and operational link between Imam and Khalid without establishing any factual basis for such a relationship. The lawyer categorically stated that Khalid was never Imam’s “guru” or political guide and that the two did not share any mentor-protégé association.
The defence further highlighted that although both Imam and Khalid were students at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), they had little to no interaction during that period. Imam’s counsel submitted that Imam spent nearly five years at the university but did not engage with Khalid in any meaningful way, undermining the prosecution’s claim of a sustained association or planning.
Addressing the prosecution’s reliance on a particular meeting to suggest coordination, the defence acknowledged that Imam and Khalid may have been present at the same gathering. However, it was argued that the prosecution has failed to show that any discussion at the meeting involved violence, disruption, or unlawful activity. The lawyer emphasized that simply being present at the same place does not amount to participation in a criminal conspiracy.
The defence also argued that the prosecution has not satisfied the legal requirements for establishing conspiracy, which demand proof of an agreement to commit an illegal act. According to Imam’s counsel, no such agreement has been demonstrated through witness statements, electronic records, or documentary evidence.
It was further submitted that opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act was widespread across the country, involving numerous individuals and groups from different backgrounds. Imam’s participation in protests, the defence said, should not be interpreted as evidence of a secret plan or coordinated effort to incite violence.
The defence maintained that Imam’s speeches, writings, pamphlets, and digital communications do not advocate violence or communal unrest. Instead, they were described as political expressions of dissent, protected under constitutional principles of free speech and assembly.
The court was also told that the prosecution’s attempt to link individual acts of protest to the outbreak of violence relies on hindsight and conjecture rather than direct evidence. Imam’s counsel urged the court to carefully examine whether the materials on record genuinely disclose the ingredients of offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The case forms part of the larger set of prosecutions arising from the February 2020 Delhi riots, in which several activists and students, including Imam and Khalid, have been accused of playing roles in a purported conspiracy to destabilize the government through anti-CAA protests. The Delhi Police has invoked stringent anti-terror law provisions, alleging that the protests were used as a cover to incite violence.
The court is expected to continue hearing arguments from both the prosecution and the defence before deciding whether charges should be framed against the accused in the alleged conspiracy case.
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