JNU Sedition: Issue of sanction causing wastage of judicial time, Delhi Court asks Delhi Govt to decide within one month

Observing that the time which is being taken to decide on the issue of sanction in the JNU sedition case is causing wastage of judicial time, the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Manish Khurana has asked the Delhi Government to decide on the issue within one month..“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.”.Expressing its disappointment at the condition, the Court observed,.“The time which is being taken to finalise the issue of sanction or otherwise has caused wastage of judicial time as the case had been listed and adjourned repeatedly since the filing of the charge sheet.”.The chargesheet in the case was filed by the Delhi Police on January 14..The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate had, however, refused to take cognizance on the chargesheet due to absence of sanction from Delhi Government. Since then, the matter has not been able to progress further as the issue of sanction is pending with Delhi Government’s Home Department..In its report to the Court on the issue of delay of sanction, the Delhi Government had claimed that the chargesheet was filed by Delhi Police secretly and in a hasty manner, without obtaining approval from the competent authority. It had thus sought some more time to decide the issue..Apart from Kanhaiya Kumar, the chargesheet has named students Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya, and seven others for allegedly raising “anti-national” slogans at the JNU campus on February 2, 2016..They are booked for commission of offences under Sections 124A,143,147,149,120B and 323 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)..The Delhi Police claims to have based its findings on the basis of documentary evidence, CCTV footage, and eye-witness accounts of approximately 90 persons..Kanhaiya was granted interim bail by the Delhi High Court in the matter in March 2016, almost three weeks after being arrested on charges of sedition. Soon after, an Additional Sessions Judge granted interim bail to Khalid and Bhattacharya in the case..The matter will be heard next on October 25.