NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Tuesday granted interim bail for seven days to activist Sharjeel Imam, an accused in the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots larger conspiracy case, to attend his cousins’ weddings. Imam’s brother Muzammil confirmed the interim bail on X, stating it was granted for the cousins’ marriages from October 4 to 10. 

Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma Courts allowed the plea, permitting Imam’s release from October 4 to October 10. The court directed him to furnish a personal bond of Rs 50,000 with one surety of the same amount and to surrender before jail authorities on the evening of October 10. Conditions include a ban on contacting anyone connected with the case (including witnesses), using social media, or meeting people other than family members.

Imam’s lawyers, advocates Ahmad Ibrahim and Ayesha Zaidi, had sought two weeks of interim bail (from September 30 to October 13) for the marriages of his cousins Danish Imam (scheduled in Delhi on October 4) and Fahad Imam (in Sasaram, Bihar, on October 7). The court noted that the events involved his real cousins and granted the shorter period.

Muzzammil posted on X, 'Bail has been granted to my brother Sharjeel @_imaams in the FIR No. 55/2020, registered by Civil Lines, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh Police. One more step towards his release which shows that eventually truth prevails over lies, propaganda & witchhunt.'

This is the second interim bail granted to Imam in the case. In March 2026, the same court allowed him 10 days’ relief (March 20–30) to attend his brother’s wedding and care for his ailing mother. Imam, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University student, has been in custody since January 2020.

Imam was arrested by the Delhi Police on January 28, 2020, and booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on charges that he was one of the key intellectual architects behind the entire conspiracy, who worked in tandem with the other co-conspirators, which escalated into large-scale communal violence during the February 2020 Delhi riots.

The riots erupted in violence on February 23, 2020, following clashes between Hindus and Muslims over the then-proposed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that left 53 dead and hundreds injured.

He and co-accused Umar Khalid face charges under the UAPA and Indian Penal Code provisions for alleged involvement in a larger conspiracy behind the February 2020 riots, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured amid protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

The Supreme Court had denied regular bail to Imam and Khalid in January 2026, distinguishing their roles from other accused who were granted relief. Their regular bail pleas are scheduled to be heard by the Delhi High Court on September 30.