Delhi HC wants status report to deal with Kanhaiya sedition case

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Delhi Police to submit a status report of its investigation into the sedition case registered against JNU Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar. The JNU students union chief moved the court seeking bail and challenging his arrest in the matter following the refusal of the Supreme Court to hear his plea straightway without coming up through lower courts. The case pertains to some slogans raised at a JNU event on February 9 when the varsity students opposed the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and raised anti-India slogans. Among other things, reports said they vowed to ensure India to go to bits and pieces. A battery of lawyers led by senior advocate Kapil Sibal appeared before the Bench of Justice Pratibha Rani. Sibal represented the Supreme Court’s panel which visited Patiala House Court on the day it witnessed violence. Kanhaiya was represented by lawyer Rebecca John. Counsel for the Delhi Police opposed the bail plea. During the brief hearing, the court said it would not hear the bail plea without the police status report. The court adjourned the hearing to Wednesday after directing the police to file the status report by Wednesday morning. The hearing also witnessed an altercation between the Delhi government and Delhi Police lawyers over representing police in the High Court. Security was beefed up on the High Court premises to avoid the repeat of violence witnessed twice in Patiala House Court last week during Kanhaiya's remand proceedings.