Sedition case: Police yet to file formal charges against SAR Gilani

NEW DELHI: Thress years on, Delhi police is yet to file formal charges against SAR Gilani, former Delhi University lecturer, who was slapped with charges of sedition, reported Indian Express.

Gilani, the “main organiser” of the controversial event at the Delhi Press Club on February 10 was booked for allegedly shouting anti-India slogans hailing 2001 parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

Gilani’s arrest comes amid a raging controversy over the arrest of former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar as main accused along nine other who has been chargesheeted in the JNU sedition case.

Delhi Police on Monday filed a 1,200-page charge sheet at Delhi’s Patiala House Court in connection with the JNU sedition case. The court will consider the charge sheet on Tuesday.

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On February 9, 2016, anti-national slogans were allegedly raised on the JNU campus during a programme called to protest against the death sentence handed out to Afzal Guru, a convict in the Parliament attack case, which led to a massive row when the members of ABVP, the student wing of RSS, objected to the programme.

The charge sheet has been filed under Indian Penal Code’s (IPC) Section 124A (sedition), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 465 (forgery), 471 (using as genuine, forged document), 143 (punishment for unlawful assembly), 149 (unlawful assembly with common object), 147(rioting), and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

However, Kanhaiya Kumar has questioned the timing to file the charge sheet, accusing the Central government and the BJP of doing so for political gains in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

“The charge sheet has been filed just before the Lok Sabha elections. It is politically motivated. The Central government has failed on every front and has fulfilled none of its promises. Therefore, all the cards that they have in their hands are being played by them,” said Kanhaiya Kumar.