After Anirban Bhattacharya and Umar Khalid, court frees SAR Geelani

Former Delhi University professor S.A.R. Geelani, arrested under sedition charges for organising an event at the Press Club of India to mark the death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, on Friday was granted bail by Patiala house courts.

Additional Session Judge, NDPS, Deepak Garg while granting him bail observed that no purpose would be served while keeping him in jail. The court directed him to furnish a bail bond of Rs 50,000 and a surety of like amount.

“In the circumstances of this case, in my view, no purpose would be served by keeping the applicant (Geelani) in judicial custody anymore pending further investigation. There is no allegation of the state that there is any apprehension of the accused fleeing from justice,” the court noted.

The court has also asked Mr Geelani not to leave Delhi without its prior permission while asking him to surrender his passport before the court. The court has asked him to make himself available before the probe agency whenever it required.

“The applicant shall not directly or indirectly make any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case so as to dissuade them from disclosing such facts to the court or to any other authority,” the court said.

During the arguments, Mr Geelani’s counsel Satish Tamta said that there were no evidences against him that he raised the alleged anti-Indian slogans, claiming that as per the FIR itself, the people raising slogans there were stopped by office-bearers of the Press Club of India (PCI) and asked to leave the venue to which they agreed to.

“There is nothing on record that Geelani shouted anti-India slogans or asked others to do so. It was a meeting of intellectuals to discuss the Kashmir issue. I had organised the event as I am Vice President of one of the committees for demanding release of the political prisoners. There was nothing in the event which led to any violence as there was nothing that could be called incitement. The prosecution has not pointed out that I was the one raising slogans or asked others to do so. And even if I did so, that doesn’t come under 124-A as it did not create any violence or incitement for the violence,” Mr Tamta said, adding that as per the SC orders itself, merely shouting slogans doesn’t attract 124-A.

He further said that Mr Geelani is already in jail for last around one month and not required for the probe any further. “His presence can also not influence any person and he is not capable to influence the investigation,” the counsel said.

The police, however, opposed the bail plea, saying that the event was “an attack on the soul of India” and it was “contempt of court.”