Sibal, who was assisted by another senior advocate Rebeca John, submitted that the court can itself find from the video that Kanhaiya himself was seen asking people with muffled face, also accused of raising anti-India slogans, for their identity cards.
Advertisement
Delhi HC reserves its order for March 2 on bail plea of Kanhaiya Kumar, arrested on sedition charges.
Additional Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Delhi Police, admitted that there was no specific video footage which showed the JNUSU president raising anti national slogans, but argued that the videos showed that he was present at the spot.
“Whether the mobile recording, done at your (police) instance, showed that Kanhaiya had raised any such slogans”, the bench asked the police during the hearing of his bail plea which was witnessed by his father, uncle and an elder brother and the cops assuring that the arrested students leader would “not be victimised” if it was found that he has no role.
The High Court was told by him that the application for organising the event in question was filed by Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, also accused in the case and are presently undergoing custodial interrogation.
The police also said that apart from the footage from Zee TV, an “independent video” had been made with “an iPhone6 by a JNU staff member on the request of the Chief of Security at the university”. It also asked why police officers who were present there did not take any action.
The lawyers started attacking me while raising slogans, he added. “Did the security guards not maintain a register of who entered?” asked the court, adding why the police personnel present at the JNU gates also “did not take any steps” to apprehend the “masked persons”.
However, the ASG’s claim was opposed by AAP government appointed senior standing counsel, Rahul Mehra, who said Kanhaiya is a student and he can not be involved in anti-India movement. After a marathon hearing that went on for three hours, the Single Bench of Justice Pratibha Rani reserved order to pronounce its verdict on March 2.
“Nowhere Kanhaiya was seen shouting any slogan”.
The bench said Kanhaiya’s counsel has apprehended serious threat to his client’s life during production before the court for remand proceedings and for this reason, his bail plea wastransmitted to the High Court by the Supreme Court.
Advertisement
Khalid and Anirban are in police remand since their surrender and subsequent arrest on February 24.
