Mocking the constitutional bodies has become a new routine for the government. Even after the Supreme Court’s stance on Sedition, Delhi police filed its charge-sheet against former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar and others in a sedition case lodged in 2016.
The police said they have evidence to proceed against former JNU Students’ Union leaders Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and seven students from Jammu and Kashmir – Aquib Hussain, Mujeeb Hussain, Muneeb Hussain, Umar Gul, Rayeea Rassol, Bashir Bhat and Basharat.
The police alleged that Kanhaiya incited the crowd and was part of the mob that allegedly raised ‘anti-India’ slogans.
A case was registered on February 11, 2016, under Sections of 124 A (sedition) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC against unknown persons at Vasant Kunj (North) police station following complaints by BJP MP Maheish Girri and the ABVP.
In March 2016, a magistrate report into the event said that anti-India slogans were not raised and stated the videos were doctored to this effect. It is unclear if the police is using the same videos as evidence against the students.
Reacting to the 1,200-page charge sheet, Kanhaiya Kumar said it is “politically motivated”. “If the news is true that a charge sheet has been filed, I would like to thank police and Modi ji. The filing of charge sheet after three years, ahead of elections, clearly shows it to be politically motivated. I trust the judiciary of my country,” the former student leader told news agency ANI.
It may be recollected that on January 10, Assamese leaders and intellectuals Hiren Gohain, Akhil Gogoi and Manjit Mahanta were charged with sedition for opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. It doesn’t require a scientist to find the pattern and tag them politically motivated. Nowadays, criticizing the government means criticizing the country and it won’t take much time to charge them with treason or sedition or both.
