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New Delhi/Nagpur: Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar was granted interim bail for six months by the Delhi High Court today in the sedition case.
Kanhaiya Kumar, who is accused of raising anti-India slogans inside JNU campus during an event organised on February 9, was granted bail on a surety of Rs. 10,000.
During the hearing over this week, while Kanhaiya Kumar counsel had argued that the student leader had never raised any slogans against the nation, Delhi Police had maintained that there was evidence that he and others were shouting anti-India slogans and were holding Afzal Guru’s posters.
Police had claimed that Kanhaiya Kumar was “not cooperating” in the probe and even came out with “contradictory” statements in joint interrogation by Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Delhi Police.
The 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 Kumar was seen in CCTV footage asking them for their identity cards.”
The bench had also asked tough questions to the police on slapping sedition charge on the accused and asked it to show evidence against him of his “active role” in raising anti- India slogans.
Kanhaiya Kumar had also distanced himself from Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, the two other accused arrested in the case.
During the hearing, the Delhi government’s counsel had urged the court to grant bail to Kanhaiya Kumar, who is currently in Tihar Jail under judicial custody.
He was arrested on February 12 in the case which was registered under charges of sedition and criminal conspiracy.
According to the police, a group of students had on February 9 held an event in the campus and allegedly shouted slogans against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Guru.
