New Delhi, Oct 14 (NationPress) Sharjeel Imam, who faces charges under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) linked to the 2020 Delhi riots 'larger conspiracy case', has officially retracted his plea submitted to a Delhi court for interim bail to participate in the forthcoming Bihar Assembly elections.

The presiding Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Sameer Bajpai at the Karkardooma Courts acknowledged that the request could be revoked following Imam's lawyer's assertion that the Supreme Court would be the appropriate venue for seeking interim bail, particularly as his regular bail application is still pending there.

In his plea, Imam had requested interim bail from October 15 to October 29 to run as an Independent candidate from the Bahadurganj constituency in Kishanganj district.

Currently, the Supreme Court is reviewing the bail requests of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, Meeran Haider, and Gulfisha Fatima, and has asked for a response from the Delhi Police.

The four student activists have been incarcerated for nearly five years.

Previously, the Delhi High Court denied bail to several leaders implicated in the purported larger conspiracy surrounding the Delhi riots. In a ruling issued on September 2, a panel of Justices Shalinder Kaur and Navin Chawla noted that inflammatory speeches were delivered on February 24, 2020, coinciding with the visit of then US President Donald Trump, which the prosecution argued was strategically timed to incite riots on February 23-24 and attract international attention.

"The inflammatory and provocative speeches made by the appellants, when assessed collectively, prima facie suggest their involvement in the alleged conspiracy," stated the Delhi High Court.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has confirmed that the Bihar Assembly elections will occur in two phases on November 6 and 11, with vote counting set for November 14. The Bahadurganj constituency will hold elections on November 11.