NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court will on Wednesday decide on a bail plea of JNU students' union chief Kanhaiya Kumar and pleas of two other students to surrender in court. The police had arrested Kumar on charges of sedition over alleged anti-India slogans at a meeting on the JNU campus a few days ago.
The Delhi Police, which had earlier indicated it would not oppose Kumar's bail, changed tack when additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta who represented it said that Kanhaiya's release would impede probe and witnesses could be influenced.
Justice Pratibha Rani, however, insisted that the police produce a status report on its investigations before she could decide on granting bail. She issued a notice to the Delhi Police to file a reply on Kanhaiya's bail plea, brushing aside the police request that it not be made public.
"The petitioner has the right to know (about the charges)," she said.
The arguments in the case were overshadowed by the political shadow-boxing over who should represent the prosecution. The Delhi government tried to argue that it should be allowed to handle the prosecution arguments through its counsel Rahul Mehra. However, the police reports to the Centre and L-G, a central government appointee, had nominated additional solicitor generals to handle the case.
The pleas of Khalid and Bhattacharya, who have evaded the police since February 12, seeking protection from arrest would also be heard on Wednesday. Khalid and Bhattacharya moved the HC seeking safe passage from JNU to the high court and sought permission to surrender in court shortly after Justice Rani sought a report from the Police on Kanhaiya's bail plea.
"What do you mean that I should give you safe passage? Everything cannot be at your whims and fancies," she told their counsels Kamini Jaiswal and Rebecca John. "There's something called procedure." The judge suggested the students surrender at a police station of their choice of time and place away from media glare, but later posted their pleas for further hearing.
The Delhi Police, which had earlier indicated it would not oppose Kumar's bail, changed tack when additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta who represented it said that Kanhaiya's release would impede probe and witnesses could be influenced.
Justice Pratibha Rani, however, insisted that the police produce a status report on its investigations before she could decide on granting bail. She issued a notice to the Delhi Police to file a reply on Kanhaiya's bail plea, brushing aside the police request that it not be made public.
"The petitioner has the right to know (about the charges)," she said.
The arguments in the case were overshadowed by the political shadow-boxing over who should represent the prosecution. The Delhi government tried to argue that it should be allowed to handle the prosecution arguments through its counsel Rahul Mehra. However, the police reports to the Centre and L-G, a central government appointee, had nominated additional solicitor generals to handle the case.
The pleas of Khalid and Bhattacharya, who have evaded the police since February 12, seeking protection from arrest would also be heard on Wednesday. Khalid and Bhattacharya moved the HC seeking safe passage from JNU to the high court and sought permission to surrender in court shortly after Justice Rani sought a report from the Police on Kanhaiya's bail plea.
"What do you mean that I should give you safe passage? Everything cannot be at your whims and fancies," she told their counsels Kamini Jaiswal and Rebecca John. "There's something called procedure." The judge suggested the students surrender at a police station of their choice of time and place away from media glare, but later posted their pleas for further hearing.