Court reserves order on Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya bail applications

New Delhi, March 16

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A Delhi court on Wednesday reserved its order on bail applications of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students Umar Khalid and Anriban Bhattacharya — who face sedition charges for suspected anti-national activities at an event held on university campus — for March 18.

The two have said that Kanhaiya Kumar — the first one arrested in connection with the event — has already been released on bail. Delhi Police oppose their bail saying the two were the main organisers of the event held on February 9.

Police also claim that Kumar’s case was different — primarily because he wasn’t the event’s main organiser. The also said there were 10 different witnesses that hear “anti-national” slogans at the event by a crowd “the two led”.

"The slogans attempted to incite the mob. These two persons — Khalid and Bhattacharya — led the crowd that shouted anti-Indian slogans. The police has also recovered two mobile phones that established that anti-Indian slogans were raised by Khalid and Bhattacharya during the event," prosecution in the case said.

Delhi Police claimed that found posters used for the event in the emails of the two, implying that they had organised the event that was held against the university’s orders.

The two student leaders, who were arrested on February 23, claimed that several videos of the event were proved doctored.

The students were among the five arrested for sedition for an event held on the campus to protest Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru’s hanging on February 9 — Guru’s third death anniversary.

Kanhaiya Kumar, the first one to be arrested in connection with the event, was released on bail on March 3. — Agencies