NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Monday formally framed charges against activist Sharjeel Imam for his alleged role in orchestrating the violent riots in Jamia Nagar on December 15, 2019, during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

In a scathing order, Additional Sessions Judge Vishal Singh at Saket Court held that Imam was not just a protester but the “kingpin” behind the widespread arson, rioting and violence. The court stated that Imam’s speeches were not merely provocative but “venomous”, designed to inflame communal tensions and mobilize the masses towards confrontation.

The court found that Imam’s speeches were delivered with “precision and intent” to stir unrest, leading to an inevitable eruption of violence.

“His speech was calculated to evoke anger and hatred, the natural consequence of which was commission of widespread violence by members of unlawful assembly on public roads. His speech was venomous and pitted one religion against another. It was, indeed, a hate speech,” the court noted.

It added that Imam deliberately exploited the sentiments of the Muslim community, urging them to block roads across multiple states, knowing well that such a move would cripple public life.

The judge outright rejected Imam’s argument that he merely advocated for peaceful protests. The court observed that in a densely populated city like Delhi, where ambulances and emergency services rely on smooth traffic movement, a mass-scale chakka jaam (road blockade) was nothing short of criminal negligence.

"Blocking roads en masse in a city where medical emergencies are routine can directly endanger lives. If any patient in distress were to succumb due to delayed medical care, such an act would amount to nothing less than culpable homicide," the court stated.

Apart from Imam, the court framed charges against Ashu Khan, Chandan Kumar and Aasif Iqbal Tanha, citing mobile location records and media interviews as key evidence of their role in leading the violent mobs.

Rejecting claims that the riots were spontaneous, the court underscored that the violence was orchestrated with precision, following a larger conspiracy.

"The assembling of a huge mob and the mass-scale rioting committed by it was not a random or spontaneous happening and could not have been committed except in pursuance of a larger conspiracy entered into between the self-proclaimed leaders and initiators of the mob activity," the court ruled.

According to the prosecution, Imam actively mobilised people, distributed inflammatory pamphlets, and used social media to rally support for disruptive protests. His speeches at Aligarh Muslim University on December 11, 2019, and at Jamia Millia Islamia on December 13, 2019, were cited as deliberate attempts to provoke mass unrest.

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