JNU Sedition Row: Delhi Court Asks Police To Remind Delhi Govt About Sanction

The court has asked the Special Cell of Delhi Police to send fresh reminder to the newly formed Delhi Government, seeking its permission on whether to go ahead with the prosecution or not. The reminder shall be sent to the Deputy Secretary of Delhi Government's Home Department.

The Prosecutor in the matter has also been directed to file a status report within a period of 30 days.

On the previous date of hearing, Delhi Government had informed the court that no decision had been taken on this issue as of yet, as the concerned file is still pending before the Home Department which was then headed by Satyendar Jain.

During the same hearing, the court had also rapped the Delhi Government for keeping the decision on sanction pending for so long. It was said:

'It is expected of the Delhi government that the decision regarding the sanction or otherwise would be taken within one month so that further proceeding in the present case may be done. The time which is being taken to finalise the issue of sanction or otherwise has caused wasted judicial time as the case had been listed and adjourned repeatedly since the filing of the charge sheet.''

In January 2019, the Crime Branch of Delhi Police had filed a charge-sheet running into 1200 pages wherein 10 JNU students were named for allegedly raising anti-national slogans inside the campus on February 9, 2016, during a protest event against Afzal Guru's execution.

It is stated in the charge-sheet that the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL) retrieved the SMS sent by Umar Khalid to Kanhaiya Kumar to arrive at Sabarmati Dhaba in JNU, as their permission to hold the protest had been cancelled by the University administration.

The matter will next be taken up on April 3.