A Delhi court on Friday refused to grant bail to the former Delhi University lecturer S.A.R. Geelani in a sedition case connected with a function at the Press Club of India on February 10, saying “the slogans raised at this meeting could have incited violence and created public disorder.”
Dismissing his bail petition, Metropolitan Magistrate Harvinder Singh said: “Since the applicant/accused, along with 20-25 youths, were raising anti-national slogans, slogans for Azadi for Kashmir and slogans hailing Maqbool Bhatt and Afzal Guru as martyrs who were convicted and executed..., it can be inferred from the slogans that they intended to bring the Government of India into contempt with a likelihood of eruption of violence and public disorder...’’
The court also considered the statements of two officials of the Press Club to the police that Geelani, along with others, was shouting slogans for freedom for Kashmir and hailing Maqbool Bhat and Afzal Guru as martyrs.
Satish Tamta, counsel for Geelani, said he would not flee the country as he is working here and his family stays with him.
