Police oppose perjury plea against Kanhaiya

Delhi Police say there is no material to substantiate the allegation that false affidavits were filed

The police on Monday opposed in the Delhi High Court a plea seeking initiation of perjury proceedings against former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and a JNU professor, saying there was no material to substantiate the allegation that they had filed false affidavits along with the bail plea of the student leader in a sedition case.

‘Deserves to be dismissed’

The investigating officer informed Justice S. P. Garg that the court, on August 11, had already dismissed pleas to cancel interim bail of Kanhaiya in the sedition case on the ground that nothing was shown to prove that the student leader had made an anti-national speech after his release.

“Perusal of petition, under reply, lacks materials and the contents/averments made therein are vehemently denied and, in view of the order dated August 11, 2016, of this court, the petition deserves to dismissed,” the affidavit filed by the Delhi Police said.

The reply from the police came in the backdrop of a court notice issued to it on a plea claiming that a JNU professor had “deliberately” filed a false affidavit in the high court along with Kanhaiya’s bail petition in the case.

Next hearing in February

The court has now fixed the matter for further hearing on February 23 next year.

In his plea, petitioner Prashant Kumar Umrao had contended that the professor had wrongly vouched on oath about Kanhaiya not being involved in any “anti-national activity” and for saying that he was a man of proper conduct.

Advocate R. P. Luthra, appearing for the petitioner, said the professor should have been aware that the student leader was fined for inappropriate conduct on campus a year ago and there was nothing to show that he was not involved in any anti-national sloganeering.

On March 2, Kanhaiya was granted six-month interim bail by the high court.

He was later granted regular bail by the trial court in connection with the case related to an event on the JNU campus on February 9, in which anti-India slogans were allegedly raised.

Sedition charges

While the court at first had felt that since the student leader had been granted bail nothing remained in the petition seeking perjury proceedings, the petitioner convinced the court that it had nothing to do with him being released on regular bail.

Kanhaiya was arrested on February 12 this year on charges of alleged sedition. Two other students, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, were later arrested in connection with the case and were later granted interim bail.

A trial court had on August 26 granted regular bail to the three accused. — PTI