Jawaharlal Nehru University student Sharjeel Imam has filed a petition in the Supreme Court demanding that adverse remarks made about him by the Delhi High Court be expunged, Live Law reported on Wednesday.

The High Court had made the remarks about Imam in its October 18 order denying bail to activist Umar Khalid in a case pertaining to an alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots. The court had said that Imam was arguably at the “head of the conspiracy” to orchestrate violence.

The High Court had also referred to meetings that allegedly took place between Imam and Khalid ahead of the violence.

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Imam, in a special leave petition before the Supreme Court, said that the High Court had made observations about him without giving him an opportunity to present his stand. He added that the observations are related to the merits of a criminal case in which he also faces accusations, and thus, the remarks could adversely affect his bail application.

The petition contended that the High Court’s remarks were beyond the scope of a bail application, Bar and Bench reported.

“Notably, none of the impugned observations and remarks are borne out of the record,” the petition said. “Rather, they are ex-facie contradictory and even go beyond the allegations contained in the chargesheet.”

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Imam has been charged for allegedly making inflammatory speeches about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which incited riots in the National Capital.

The Delhi Police have alleged that the February 2020 violence was part of a larger conspiracy to defame Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and was hatched by those who organised the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Communal violence had broken out in North East Delhi between February 23 and February 26, 2020. The clashes claimed 53 lives and hundreds were injured. The majority of those killed were Muslims.