BJP MLAs urge Lt Governor to end AAP government's "deliberate delay" in JNU sedition case

Delhi BJP legislators Friday met Lt Governor Anil Baijal requesting his intervention to end the "deliberate delay" by the AAP government in granting requisite sanction to prosecute former JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and others in a 2016 sedition case.

The delegation of BJP MLAs, headed by Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta, alleged the "delay" was causing "miscarriage of justice" in a sensitive matter.

A city court has on Wednesday asked the Delhi government to expedite the process of granting the requisite sanction, saying it can't sit on the file indefinitely. It had during an earlier hearing questioned the Delhi Police for filing a charge sheet against Kumar and others without procuring the sanctions.

"The delegation sought the urgent intervention of the L-G in the inordinate, deliberate and planned delay by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in withholding sanction for filing the charge sheet by the Delhi Police in the sedition case against former JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar and others," Gupta said in a statement.

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He said the Court has rightly pointed out that no authority can sit on the file "indefinitely" and urged the L-G to exercise his special powers and call the file in the matter.

There seems to be "tacit support to the accused" in the case, who were seen indulging in "anti-national activities" in the Jawaharlal Nehru University(JNU) campus, Gupta alleged. 

On January 14, the police filed the charge sheet at a city court against Kumar and others, saying he was leading a procession and supported seditious slogans raised on the campus during an event on February 9, 2016.

Police also charged Khalid and Bhattacharya for allegedly shouting anti-India slogans during the event to mark the hanging of Parliament-attack mastermind Afzal Guru.

After Patiala High Court told the Delhi police to obtain sanction for its 2016 JNU case charge sheet from the Arvind Kejriwal government, the Delhi chief minister has given a statement over the issue, claiming that the case is being "studied" by the government.

While speaking to the media, Kejriwal expressed his dubiety, considering the timing of the charge sheet being filed ahead of the Parliamentary elections. 

He said, "The case is being studied by the government. The Police took three years to file the charge sheet and they filed it without permission, ahead of elections, so it raises many questions."  

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