A Delhi court on Thursday refused to allow the Delhi Police to collect voice samples of JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, arrested in a sedition case.
According to court sources, Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen dismissed the application of the Delhi Police, which had arrested both the accused students after they surrendered on the night of February 23, 2016, seeking permission to collect their voice samples for investigation in the matter.
Mr. Khalid and Mr. Bhattacharya were on Wednesday night sent to a three-day police remand at the South Campus Police Station near the JNU, which was turned into a makeshift courtroom following an order of the Delhi High Court to “maintain confidentiality” during their remand proceedings.
The police had demanded a seven-day custody of the duo, who had allegedly organised a controversial event at JNU on February 9, 2016, where anti-India slogans had allegedly been raised.
Police on Wednesday also applied for production of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar for interrogation along with the two.
The Delhi High Court had on Wednesday ordered maintenance of “confidentiality” during the remand proceedings of Mr. Kumar, Mr. Khalid and Mr. Bhattacharya and directed police to ensure that no one “suffers even a scratch” in wake of the Patiala House court violence on February 15, 2016 and February 17, 2016.
The High Court order had come during the hearing on Mr. Kumar’s bail plea after it was informed that he, Mr. Khalid and Mr. Bhattacharya were apprehending threat to their safety and security during production in a Patiala House court for remand proceedings.
According to police before being arrested, Mr. Khalid and Mr. Bhattacharya were questioned for at least five hours in which police inquired about their whereabouts during the phase when cops were on a look out for them.
Police also inquired whether two of them were the main organisers of the February 9, 2016 event against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, and whether they were involved in alleged anti-India sloganeering.
The duo had returned to the JNU campus last Sunday after going missing since February 12, 2016.
Delhi Police had issued a lookout notice on February 20, 2016 against Mr. Khalid, Mr. Bhattacharya and three other students — Rama Naga, Ashutosh Kumar and Anant Prakash.
