JNU sedition case: Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid among 10 accused to face trial; summoned on March 15

JNU sedition case: A Delhi court has summoned all accused including Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid on March 15 to face trial in the JNU sedition case, The Indian Express reported. The court took cognizance of the chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police against Kanhaiya Kumar, Syed Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya, Aquib Hussain, Mujeeb Hussain Gattoo, Muneeb Hussain Gattoo, Umar Gul, Rayees Rasool, Basharat Ali and Khalid Bashir Bhatt.

The Delhi Police in its charge sheet claim that Kumar led a procession and supported — along with others named as accused — seditious slogans raised on university campus during an event to mark the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

Taking cognisance of the charge sheet, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (Patiala House Courts) Dr Pankaj Sharma said the sanction to prosecute accused persons had already been filed by the Home Department of the Delhi government dated February 27, 2020. “After careful perusal of the chargesheet and consideration of the material, all the accused persons are summoned to face trial and they have been summoned through investigation officer for March 15, 2021,” the magistrate said.

The police had filed chargesheet against Kanhaiya Kumar and others in January 2019. It, however, did not get prosecution sanction from Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government until February 27, 2020. In the case, all the accused are slapped with 124A (sedition), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 465 (forgery), 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), 143, 149 (being a member of an unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) charges under IPC.

Giving sanction to the charge sheet filed by the Delhi Police, the Deputy Secretary (Home) of Delhi government said that on perusal of the chargesheet under Sections 124-A and 120-B IPC, and on consideration of the allegations made in case, and other material and evidences placed on record, “it appears to the government of NCT of Delhi that the accused persons, have prima facie committed an offence under Section 124-A and 120-B IPC”.