Delhi Court takes cognizance of police chargesheet in JNU ‘sedition case’; summons Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid

A Delhi Court has taken cognizance of the Delhi Police chargesheet in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) ‘sedition case’ in which Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and others are named as accused.

The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at Patiala House Court summoned all accused persons on March 15.

Apart from Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid, the chargesheet has named student Anirban Bhattacharya and seven others for allegedly raising “anti-national” slogans at the JNU campus on February 2, 2016, as reported by Bar & Bench.

They are booked for commission of offences under Sections 124A,143, 465, 471,147,149,120B and 323 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The chargesheet in the case was filed by the Delhi Police on January 14, 2019. The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate had, however, refused to take cognizance of the chargesheet due to absence of sanction from the Delhi government.

The Delhi Police claims to have based its findings on the basis of documentary evidence, CCTV footage, and eye-witness accounts of approximately 90 persons.

Kanhaiya was granted interim bail by the Delhi High Court in the matter in March 2016, almost three weeks after being arrested on charges of sedition. Soon after, an Additional Sessions Judge granted interim bail to Khalid and Bhattacharya in the case.