JNU Row; SC Refuses To Hear Kanhaiya Kumar’s Bail Plea

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Kanhaiya Kumar, head of the student's union at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), is escorted by police outside the Patiala House court in New Delhi, February 17, 2016. Fighting broke out on Wednesday around Delhi's Patiala House court hearing a case against Kumar accused of sedition, a charge that has sparked protests across university campuses and criticism the government was curtailing free speech.Express Photo BY- Praveen Khanna

The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday refused 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 to similar requests. ?

"You are leading a dangerous proposition. If this court will entertain it, it will become a precedent which will be available to all the accused in the country. Wherever there will be sensitive cases involving political persons or prominent persons or others…you know the atmosphere in the court.So in every case if it is said that Supreme Court is only the court, it would be a dangerous precedent," a bench comprising justices J Chelameswar and A M Sapre said.

Further, it said, "Remember, this is not the only case of this type."

While transferring the bail plea of Kanhaiya, who has been charged with sedition, the bench took an assurance from solicitor general Ranjit Kumar that in the "prevailing extraordinary situation" pertaining to this matter, the government of India and the Delhi Police commissioner would provide adequate safety and security to the accused and a stream of lawyers who will be appearing in the High Court.

The bench also said that the counsel for all the parties would be given preference while entering into the court room at the High Court and the Registrar General would be responsible for limiting number of people to be allowed to enter inside.

The bench which asked the high court to expeditiously deal with the matter did not give any specific date for listing it.

 

The Supreme Court permitted the counsel for Kanhaiya to amend his petition, which is to be filed in the Delhi high court.(Agencies)

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