New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday rushed a Border Security Force contingent to stand guard outside the gates of JNU as the university’s teachers and students pressed their demand to drop sedition charges against arrested students union chief Kanhiya Kumar and five others who recently surfaced at the campus.
While all eyes on Wednesday will be on the Delhi High Court where Mr Kumar’s bail plea will be heard, the High Court told the other students to follow procedures of surrender or arrest.
The Delhi police, meanwhile, made a U-turn from its earlier stand of not opposing Mr Kumar’s bail, saying this was due to a “change in circumstances”.
Delhi police commissioner B.S. Bassi had earlier claimed the police would not oppose bail for Kanhaiya as “a young man like him should be given another chance”.
But on Tuesday he justified his backtracking, saying: “The circumstances when I had said so... those have totally changed.” He also said the police will not “shy away” from using all its options if the five JNU students who resurfaced at the campus failed to cooperate with investigators.
The BSF was made to stand guard outside the campus gate. The police felt it lacked adequate forces as it also had to handle another major protest near Jantar Mantar.
The JNU authorities, meanwhile, said the demands from teachers and students that Mr Kumar be released and that sedition charges be dropped against him and five others were matters beyond its control.
JNU registrar Bhupinder Zutshi said: “We have not arrested Kanhaiya, we have also not charged anyone with sedition. It is for the police and the court to take a call. Both these demands are beyond our control.”
When Mr Kumar’s bail petition came up in the High Court, additional solicitor-general Tushar Mehta, appearing for the police, surprised many by opposing bail. As soon as the hearing began at 10.30 am, the judge asked: “Are you filing the status report? If you were aware, you should have done it. What about the status report? If you do not have the status report, I will not proceed. Ask your investigating officer to file the report.”
When the ASG told the court they will file the status report in a sealed cover as “this is a pre-chargesheet bail and the status report cannot be shown to the accused”, the bench said: “I do not need it in a sealed cover. You will have to file it. Issue notice. File the status report by tomorrow.”
Later, Mr Bassi said: “We have reasonable apprehension that if he (Kanhaiya) comes out on bail, he is bound to impact the investigation and influence witnesses. He is also likely to indulge in activities violative of penal laws. That is why we opposed grant of bail to Kanhaiya and shall oppose it further too.”
As the hearing began, Delhi government senior standing counsel Rahul Mehra opposed the appearance of ASGs Mehta and Sanjay Jain and lawyer Anil Soni, saying that before appearing in the matter they should show a notification in this regard.
Responding to this, Mr Jain said: “Once ASGs are appearing in this matter, you have no business to interfere in it.” At this stage, the bench intervened and said: “Let’s not fight over this issue. I will proceed only if the status report is filed.”
