Bail or not? Delhi court to decide Umar, Anirban’s fate on Friday

A Delhi court will decide on Friday whether to give bail or not to JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, accused of sedition.

A Delhi court will decide on Friday whether to give bail or not to JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, accused of sedition.

A Delhi court will decide on Friday whether to give bail or not to JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, accused of sedition. (Hindustan Times)

They are among six students slapped with sedition charges after a February 9 event at the university, sparking a debate over nationalism and free speech.

The JNU students’ union leader Kanhaiya Kumar, facing similar charges, was granted interim bail by the Delhi high court. Three others are yet to be arrested.

After hearing extensive arguments in the case, additional sessions judge Reeteesh Singh said he will give his decision the day after.

The advocates for Khalid and Bhattacharya argued that the two were being “singled out” while co-accused Kanhaiya Kumar was granted interim bail by the high court.

The lawyers said the police had but one piece of evidence against their clients — a pro- Afzal Guru poster with their names on it.

The lawyers said even the videos of the alleged anti-national sloganeering was in dispute at the present stage.

The prosecutor argued that the young men had “attempted” to incite disaffection towards the nation by organising the pro-Afzal event.

Meanwhile, a Delhi high court judge referred a plea to cancel JNUSU leader Kanhaiya Kumar’s interim bail in a sedition case to chief justice G Rohini on Wednesday for allocating it to another bench.