The Supreme Court of India denied bail to JNU research scholar and young public intellectual Sharjeel Imam in the alleged ‘Delhi riots larger conspiracy’ on Monday. Although he welcomed the grant of bail to his co-accused and he also expressed serious concern over the Supreme Court’s decision.

Sharjeel Imam said he remains hopeful that truth will ultimately prevail, but voiced deep anxiety over the physical and mental health of his ailing and elderly mother.

His response was shared by his brother, Muzammil Imam, on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). In his statement, Sharjeel Imam said he was glad that other accused persons had been granted bail, but strongly condemned the prolonged injustice he himself has faced.

He said, “As far as our case is concerned, I firmly believe that Umar Khalid and I are being punished for organizing and leading what was perhaps the most significant mass movement in India’s recent history.”

Analyzing the Supreme Court’s ruling, Sharjeel Imam said the decision effectively criminalizes organized protest and promotes a tendency to view public inconvenience as terrorist activity. According to him, this blurs the distinction between terrorism and democratic protest and dissent.

Muzammil Imam also rejected media claims suggesting that Sharjeel Imam’s bail was denied due to the so-called “Chicken Neck speech” of January 16, 2020. He described these claims as misleading and malicious.

According to Muzammil Imam, Sharjeel Imam has already been granted bail by courts in five separate FIRs registered on the basis of that speech. He pointed out that while granting bail, the Allahabad High Court had clearly stated that Sharjeel Imam neither incited anyone to take up arms nor did his speech lead to any violence.

He said there is no concrete evidence linking Sharjeel Imam to the Delhi riots that took place between February 22 and 24, 2020, as those incidents occurred more than a month after his speech. Despite this, the speech continues to be used to shape public perception.

Muzammil Imam said that Sharjeel Imam remains in jail to this day because of his role in organizing the peaceful Shaheen Bagh protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). He described Shaheen Bagh as a historic and non-violent mass resistance in India’s history, adding that portraying this movement as a crime even six years later, without a trial, is the real injustice.

In an emotional message, Sharjeel Imam said that personally his biggest concern is the health of his elderly mother. Despite this, he said he has not lost hope and is trying to continue his intellectual and academic journey even while in custody.

Sharjeel Imam concluded his statement with an Urdu couplet:

“My heart is not hopeless, it is only defeated;
The evening of sorrow is long, but it is only an evening.”