Delhi govt gives permission to prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar in JNU sedition row

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier said he would ask for an early decision on the matter

The Delhi government has given a go-ahead to the city police to prosecute former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar and two others in connection with a 2016 sedition case, sources told PTI on Friday.

On February 19 this year, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said he would ask for an early decision on the matter.

His remarks came on the heels of a Delhi Court asking for a status report on the pending sanction to prosecute Kumar and others. 

He said: “I’ve no interference in the concerned dept. I can’t change their decision but can ask them to make a decision as soon as possible.”

The court had posted the matter for hearing on April 3.

On September 18, 2019, the Delhi court had asked the state government to decide within a month on the sanction to prosecute Kumar and others.

Kanhaiya's reponse

Meanwhile, Kanhaiya Kumar has welcomed the Delhi government's move, saying it will help in speedy trial in the case. "Thank you, Delhi government for granting the permission in the sedition case. I urge Delhi Police, government prosecutors to take it seriously. Fast track court should ensure a speedy trial and justice should be done according to the court of law. It's important for the country to know how the sedition law is being misused for political benefit and to distract people from fundamental issues," he said on Twitter.

Speaking to media later, Kumar alleged that the latest developments were politically-driven.

He said: 'The charge-sheet was filed for the first time when I was about to contest the election and now elections are going to be held in Bihar again. There is NDA govt in Bihar, the state govt has passed a resolution in the assembly against NRC-NPR. "



JNU sedition row

The case involves alleged raising of slogans that were deemed seditious at the JNU campus during an event against the death sentence handed out to Afzal Guru, convict of 2001 parliament attack.

Delhi Police filed a charge sheet on January 14, 2019, three years after the case became a national headline-grabber. The charge sheet mentions 10 JNU students as the main accused — Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and seven Kashmiri students.