Student activist and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) scholar Sharjeel Imam moved court, seeking interim bail to contest in the Bihar assembly polls, scheduled to be held in November. Imam hails from Kako village of Jehanabad in Bihar.
Imam is planning to contest the polls as an independent candidate from Bahadurganj constituency in Kishanganj district of the state. The constituency is currently represented by Mohammad Anzar Nayeemi, who got elected on an AIMIM ticket but jumped ship and joined the RJD.
The constituency will go to the polls on November 11.
The activist has sought bail from October 15 to October 29 to file the nomination papers and campaign for the polls. The filing of nomination papers for the second phase of elections began on Monday. Nominations can be filed for these seats till October 20, while the last date for withdrawal of candidature is October 23.
The petition clarified that he will not be associated with any political party and said, "There is no one to take care of and make arrangements for his nomination and campaign for the elections, except his younger brother, who is also currently looking after his ailing mother and providing for his family."
“That since the Applicant is a political prisoner and a student activist, he is willing to contest elections from his home state Bihar which is scheduled to take place from in 2 phases from 10.10.2025 to 16.11.2025,” said the petition, according to livelaw.
According to Bar and Bench, Imam, who is in jail for the Delhi riots conspiracy case, filed the application before the Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Sameer Bajpai of Karkardooma Courts. While he has been granted bail for a few cases related to protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), the Delhi court refused to grant him bail in the anti-terror law case linked to the alleged conspiracy behind the February 2020 riots in Delhi.