2016 JNU sedition case: Court raps Delhi Police for filing chargesheet without approval

Delhi Police has now sought 10 days to get sanction approval from concerned authorities.

NEW DELHI: Patiala House Court on Saturday rapped Delhi Police for filing chargesheet without getting the requisite sanction in the 2016 JNU sedition case against Kanhaiya Kumar and 46 others. 

Refusing to accept the chargesheet, the court questioned, “You don't have approval from legal department, why did you file chargesheet without approval?" 

The police told Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Sherawat they will procure the required sanctions within 10 days. The next hearing in the matter will be on February 6. 

A group of JNU students led by Kumar, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya had allegedly raised anti-India slogans during an event held inside the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus on February 9 evening, 2016, to mark the death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

The 1200-page-long chargesheet in the matter was filed on January 14. 

Others named in the chargesheet are - Aquib Hussain, Mujeeb Hussain, Muneeb Hussain, Umar Gul, Rayeea Rassol, Bashir Bhat and Basharat.

Nearly 36 others, including Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D Raja's daughter Aprajita, Shehla Rashid (then vice-president of the JNUSU), Rama Naga, Ashutosh Kumar and Banojyotsna Lahiri have been named in column 12 of the chargesheet due to insufficient evidence against them, police sources said.

Kanhaiya Kumar was accused of inciting the gathering and shouting anti-India slogans during his address.

A case in this connection was registered on February 11, 2016, under various Sections of 124 A (sedition) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC against unknown persons at Vasant Kunj (North) police station following complaints by BJP MP Mahesh Girri and the ABVP.