Bail plea of JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar who faced arrest in the sedition case, will be heard by the Delhi High Court today. Justice Pratibha Rani reserved the order on the bail plea and asked Delhi Police about his “active” role during the protest.
Advertisement
This a clear climbdown from the earlier stance of the Delhi Police that they have clear evidence, including video, to implicate Kanhaiya in the sedition case.
Defence lawyers, including senior advocate Kapil Sibal, had countered the allegations saying there were “some outsiders with covered faces who raised anti-India slogans and Kanhaiya was seen in CCTV footage asking them for their identity cards”.
Police wanted him for more number of days in custody so that they can question him along with JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya who surrendered last week.
The students have been agitating on campus ever since Kanhaiya was arrested in a sedition case in connection with an event against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.
“We will also be approaching the NHRC (National Human Rights Commission) and the Minority Commission to register our concerns at the functioning of the Delhi Police and the continuing threats of physical violence against Kanhaiya, Umar and Anirban”, she added.
In a separate message posted online, community, student and legal activists in the U.S. said they join to send strong messages of solidarity to all students, workers, communities and human rights defenders throughout India struggling against an “increasingly repressive right-wing nationalist and neoliberal regime”.
Police said that all witnesses identified Kanhaiya, said he was leading the procession and “participating” in anti-national slogan shouting.
Joint questioning of the three people was done by the Special Cell. There appears to be a movement and this is beginning of the movement.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, the Delhi Government asked in the court that how can Kanhaiya be held responsible if people from outside JNU came and raised slogans. “If he is given bail then such incidents will get a boost”.
