Bidar Court reserves order in bail plea filed by mother of student, Headmistress of school in Sedition matter

A Bidar court today reserved its order in the bail application filed on behalf of the Headmistress of Shaheen School and the mother of a student, both of whom were charged with sedition for an "anti-CAA" play conducted at the school..The bail plea filed on behalf of Fareeda Begum (Headmistress) and Najbunnissa (mother of the school student) was heard by Principal District & Sessions Judge MP Mallikarjuna today.It is reported that the Judge asked the counsel about the script of the play. Advocate BT Venkatesh, appearing on behalf of the two arrested women, stated that the contents of the play did not amount to sedition. The Court replied that it is the responsibility of the elders to read the script before children stage it..Opposing the bail applications, the public prosecutor argued that the women would flee the country and might also destroy the video evidence..After hearing the parties, the Court posted the matter for orders on February 14..The Court today also heard an anticipatory bail plea filed on behalf of the Shaheen School management. After the public prosecutor sought more time to file objections, the Court posted the matter for February 17..Fareeda Begum and Najbunnissa were arrested by the Bidar Police on a complaint filed by a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The complaint stated that a play staged by classes 4, 5 and 6 students of Shaheen Schoolon the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) contained dialogue that insulted Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Najbunnissa's 11-year-old daughter was alleged to have uttered the "seditious" dialogue.Subsequently, the State Police authorities had filed an FIR against the management of the school. The main allegation against the school administration was that it facilitated the spreading of false information about the newly passed CAA, spread negative opinions about the Parliament's laws among students, and further contributed to communal tension.The police arrested Fareeda Begum and Najbunnissa on the basis of the complaint, on January 30. The duo has been in prison since then..Recently, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Karnataka High Court to initiate action against the State Police for illegally examining and questioning minor students of Shaheen School over the "seditious" play.This apart, it is reported that another plea has been filed by the Directors of Shaheen Education Foundation before the Kalaburagi Bench of Karnataka High Court, seeking to quash the sedition charges against the school.