#JNU row: #SupremeCourt declines to hear Kanhaiya Kumar’s bail plea, ask him to approach high court

On Feb 19, 2016

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday declined to hear the bail plea of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader Kanhaiya Kumar and asked him to approach the high court on the issue.

The SC said hearing Kanhaiya’s bail plea directly would open the floodgates of similar requests. The SC also asked the Centre and the Delhi Police to ensure proper security arrangements for Kanhaiya’s counsel on the high court premises.

The JNU student on Thursday moved the apex court for bail and release from custody saying that “fear for the safety of life and limb” at the lower court in Patiala House had compelled him to approach it directly. In his petition, Kanhaiya said there was “repeated breakdown of law and order at the Patiala House court” despite the directives of the apex court, making it “impossible for him and his lawyers” to approach the sessions court for bail.

Kanhaiya was arrested on February 11 after police registered a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy against him for alleged anti-national sloganeering at an event that protested the 2013 hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. On February 17, when he was produced in court, Kanhaiya said in his plea, he was punched by an unidentified person in the court room of the metropolitan magistrate.

He also cited Article 32 of the Constitution by which a citizen can move the SC for enforcing his fundamental rights.

After the February 17 incident, a team of six lawyers that was sent by the SC to take stock of the situation at the Patiala House Court complex.

Kanhaiya had contended that he was “innocent” and should be bailed out becasue police did not require his custody for any further interrogation.

#JNU row: #SupremeCourt declines to hear Kanhaiya Kumar's bail plea ask him to approach high court