The Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government on Friday granted sanction to the Delhi Police to prosecute former Jawaharlal Nehru Students’ Union President Kanhaiya Kumar and others in the long-pending 2016 sedition case.
The Delhi Police Special Cell on February 19 wrote to the Delhi Home Secretary requesting to expedite the process of grant of sanction after Patiala House Court asked the Delhi Government to take a decision within one month on the issue of clearance of grant.
In a letter written by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, Pramod Singh Kushwaha to the Deputy Secretary, Home, he said, “It is therefore requested to expedite the process to accord prosecution sanction under Section 196 Cr.PC as required for an offence under Chapter VI of the IPC i.e. Section 124A IPC.”
The court in its order had said, “It is expected of Govt of Delhi that the decision regarding the sanction would be taken within one month so that further proceedings in the present case may be done. State is directed to file a report by the next Date 25/10/2019”.
Kumar, who unsuccessfully contested a Lok Sabha seat from Bihar, took to Twitter o thank the Delhi government for giving police permission to probe allegations of sedition levelled against him. “I appeal to the Delhi Police and government lawyers to treat this case seriously,” Kumar said while seeking for a speedy trial in the case via a fast track court.
On January 14 this year the Delhi Police had filed a charge sheet against former JNU President Kanhaiya Kumar, including former JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya under section 124A (Sedition) and other sections of IPC for raising seditious slogans during a campaign in the University in the year 2016.