21-year-old booked for sedition moves HC for pre-arrest bail

Kris Chudawala, the 21-year-old student of TISS, who has been charged with sedition, filed an application for anticipatory bail before the Bombay high court on Friday.

Kris Chudawala, the 21-year-old student of TISS, who has been charged with sedition, filed an application for anticipatory bail before the Bombay high court on Friday. A bench of justice AK Shinde will hear Chudawala’s plea on February 11.

HT Image

Azad Maidan police had charged Chudawala and at least 50 others on Monday, following a complaint filed by BJP’s Kirit Somaiya. According to police, a video taken on February 1, during an event organised by Queer Azaadi Mumbai, shows Chudawala and others raising slogans in support of arrested JNU student Sharjeel Imam, who has been charged with sedition by Delhi Police. On Wednesday, a sessions court rejected Chudawala’s plea for anticipatory bail.

The court observed that the offences registered against the applicant were serious, necessitating custodial interrogation and access to Chudawala’s social media accounts. Though Chudawala has not been arrested so far, their legal counsel Vijay Hiremath, has sought a stay on the session court’s order and an urgent hearing in the HC. “The applicant was exercising her fundamental right to speech and that unless the speech results in imminent lawless action, it can’t be criminalised,” reads Chudawala’s plea and says the slogans weren’t intended to incite violence at Azad Maidan. The plea states the charge is based on a video in custody, so no case for custodial interrogation is made.