By Betwa Sharma
New Delhi: While making the closing argument for denying bail to students and activists accused of planning the Delhi riots of 2020, the solicitor general of India, Tushar Mehta, told the Delhi High Court that the “four weeks” that accused Sharjeel Imam spoke of in a speech he made on 23 January 2020 referred to US President Donald Trump visit to India—“clearly indicating a timeline for execution of conspiracy”.
Article 14 checked Imam’s speeches and found the “timeline” referred to the four weeks the Supreme Court gave to the union government on 22 January 2020 to respond to over 100 petitions challenging the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a controversial law that made religion the basis of granting Indian citizenship, which he opposed.
Imam first spoke of this in a speech he made on 22 January 2020 in Asansol, West Bengal, saying, “Did you know today was a Supreme Court hearing. The court has given four weeks to the government,” and asked what would happen in states like Assam and Uttar Pradesh during that time.
Imam then spoke about it on 23 January 2020 in a speech he made in Gaya, Bihar, making comments that some might find distasteful and disparaging of the Supreme Court, while citing judgments such as outlawing triple talaq and granting the land on which the Babri Masjid stood to the Hindu parties, to illustrate what he perceived as judicial bias.
Mehta’s argument before Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur on 9 July 2025 about a reference Imam made to timing the riots with Trump’s visit is weakened considerably by the fact that the dates for the US president’s visit were not public until 11 February 2020, two weeks after the Delhi police had already arrested him on 28 January 2020.
While making a fleeting reference to “some matter” pending in the Supreme Court, Mehta said that Imam was “essentially referring to a potential date being declared” because it was in the news that he may come in four weeks.
This story was originally published in article-14.com. Read the full story here.
