JNU Sedition Case: ‘Show video of pro-Pakistani slogans,’ asks Patiala House Court; next hearing on 11 March

Delhi’s Patiala House court on Thursday directed the probe team to submit the video footage of the ‘pro-Pakistani’ slogans raised in an event held in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on 9 February 2016, to mark the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

The court has fixed the date to continue the hearing on 11 March of sedition case filed against former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Sehla Rashid, Anirban Bhattacharya and others.

In the JNU sedition case, it alleged that ‘anti-national’ slogans were raised in JNU campus on February 09, 2016 in the disputed event, which was called in to commemorate the death anniversary of Afzal Guru, who was hanged on account of the terrorist attack on Parliament. The JNU event had called in a fundamental debate of who is a nationalist, and what are the limits to the freedom of speech and expression in India.

In January, Delhi Police had filed a charge sheet in the sedition case, three years after the incident. Delhi Police has filed 1200 page charge sheet against Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid under various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 124A (sedition), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 465 (forgery), 471 (using as genuine, forged document), 143 (punishment for unlawful assembly), 149 (unlawful assembly with common object), 147(rioting), & 120B (criminal conspiracy).

Along with Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Delhi police named Aquib Hussain, Mujeeb Hussain, Muneeb Hussain, Umar Gul, Rayeea Rasool, Bashir Bhat. CPI leader D Raja's daughter Aparajita Raja has also been named in the charge sheet filed in JNU sedition case.

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