Delhi court allows police to take Sharjeel Imam's voice sample

A Delhi court on Wednesday allowed police to take voice sample of activist Sharjeel Imam, arrested on sedition charges, for comparing it with that in a video clip in which he is purportedly making a hate speech and targeting the government.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Purushotam Pathak passed the order on an application by Delhi Police and directed that the accused, currently in judicial custody, be produced at CFSL on February 13.

The judge said "in view of the facts and circumstances of the case" and the judgment of the Supreme Court cited by the investigating officer for taking voice sample, he was allowing the application for taking voice sample of the accused.

The court noted the submission of Delhi Police that Imam has given "speeches against the government which were uploaded on social media" and it wanted to compare his voice with the voice in the video clip.

"Accused has made speeches and to make out an offence under section 124-A (sedition) IPC on ground that speech of the