JNU Sedition Case: Cops Lack Permit to Prosecute, Deadline 18 Sep

Kanhaiya Kumar during his speech at JNU on 3 March 2016.

(Photo: PTI)

A Delhi court has granted police time till 18 September to procure sanctions in the JNU sedition case to prosecute former Students' Union President Kanhaiya Kumar and others.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Manish Khurana on Tuesday, 23 July, passed the order after Delhi Police told the court that no sanction has been received from authorities to prosecute Kanhaiya and others.

On 14 January, police had filed a charge sheet in the court against them, claiming that Kanhaiya was leading a procession and supported seditious slogans raised in the JNU campus during an event on 9 February 2016.

Earlier, The Indian Express had reported that the Delhi government’s standing counsel, in response to a query by the Kejriwal administration, had given the opinion that the police request to prosecute Kanhaiya and others be rejected. Sources in the Delhi government’s Home Department said the law officer, Rahul Mehra had concluded that there was material error by the police in filing the charge sheet.

Section 124-A of the Indian Penal Code, which pertains to sedition, requires prior sanction from a competent authority. Hence, the Delhi Police had filed an application to the Delhi government’s home department, for sanction to prosecute.

(With inputs from PTI)