The high-level probe panel of JNU has found two students — Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya — who are in judicial custody in a sedition case, “guilty” of arousing communal, caste or regional feeli
The high-level probe panel of JNU has found two students — Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya — who are in judicial custody in a sedition case, “guilty” of arousing communal, caste or regional feeling or creating disharmony among students. The JNU administration, however, on Tuesday said a decision on what action should be taken against JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and other students will depend on their replies to the show-cause notices issued to them.
In a related development, while the high court refused to entertain a petition seeking action against Kanhaiya on the ground that his speech subsequent to his release was “anti-national” and thus he violated the bail conditions, another plea seeking cancellation of his bail will be heard on Wednesday.
The second plea is listed for hearing on Wednesday before Justice Pratibha Rani, who declined to hear the first petition seeking action against Kanhaiya, facing sedition charge in connection with an event at JNU on February 9 where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.
In show-cause notices sent to Anirban and Umar, through the deputy inspector general (prison), Tihar Jail, the university has found them guilty on four accounts. “Furnishing false certificates or false information in any manner to the university. Arousing communal, caste or regional feeling or creating disharmony among students,” are listed in the show-cause sent to Anirban as the counts on which he has been found guilty.
“Causing or colluding in the unauthorised entry of any person into the campus or in the unauthorised occupation of any portion of the university premises, including hall of residences, by any person,” were further listed in the notice sent to Anirban.
Highly-placed sources said same charges have been levied on Umar. All the students have been given time till Wednesday evening to send their reply.
Also deans of five schools of JNU wrote to vice-chancellor, saying that contrary to the “message being conveyed” that they were apprised of the probe report of the Afzal Guru row, they had not been given any details of the charges made against students or the degree of punishment.
When asked about the recommendation to expel him and four other students, Kanhaiya said, “I did receive a show-cause notice, but there was nothing about rustication in it.”
ABVP leader Saurabh Sharma, who is joint secretary of JNUSU, has also been served a show-cause notice. Mr Sharma was alleged to have stopped some buses during the controversial event in violation of traffic rules.
2 JNU students’ custody extended A city court on Tuesday remanded JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya in judicial custody for 14 days. They had been arrested and charged with sedition. The proceedings were conducted through video conferencing from Tihar jail, where both the accused are currently lodged. Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya also moved the court seeking bail through their counsels on the ground that they were not required for further interrogation and had already spent 14 days judicial custody. The pleas are likely to come up for hearing on Wednesday.
