Students at JNU cheered the duo’s release even as actor Anupam Kher, who has been critical of JNU students in wake of the sedition row, questioned how one who “speaks ill” of the country can be celebrated as if he was an Olympic medal victor.
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Before this, JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar had also been granted bail in the same case.
Since the Delhi High Court had directed the police to maintain confidentiality during their remand proceedings, the two students were remanded in police custody after hearing at a police station near JNU on February 25.
Mr. Khalid’s father S.Q.R. Ilyas confirmed to The Hindu that the two students had filed the bail applications in the Patiala House District Courts.
An undertaking was signed by four students: Khalid, Komal Mohite, Anirban Bhattacharya and Aswathi A Nair. The two had surrendered to the police on the intervening night of February 23-24.
The court noted that keeping in view the allegations against the accused, the “question arises as to whether the present accused can claim any parity with co-accused Kanhaiya Kumar who has been granted bail”.
The TOI report went on to say that as many as 21 students will receive show cause notices as to why action should not be initiated against them; and a few will be let off with a fine.
Hours after Bollywood actor Anupam Kher addressed a gathering at Jawahar Lal Nehru University over alleged “anti-national” slogans, JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar said that it is the university’s culture to encourage debates.
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Discussing the severity of punishment in event of conviction under section 124A (sedition) of the IPC, under which both the accused have been arrested along with other provisions of the IPC, the court said it prescribes three kinds of punishment which may extend upto life term.
