Delhi court to hear sedition case against Kanhaiya and others even without govt sanctions

A Delhi court Thursday said it will go ahead with the hearing of the 2016 sedition case against former JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and others even if the Delhi government doesn't give its sanction to prosecute them.

The investigating officer told Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Sherawat that the state government has not yet granted the required sanctions to the Delhi Police and has not given any reply either.

The court listed the matter for further hearing on March 11.

In January, the Delhi Police slapped sedition charges against Kumar, Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and others for allegedly raising anti-India slogans during an event organised on February 9, 2016 to mark the of Parliament attack mastermind Afzal Guru.

The event had taken place despite the university administration cancelling the permission following a complaint from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, which had termed it "anti-national".