A Mysuru court on Monday granted anticipatory bail to Nalini B. and Maridevaiah in a sedition case booked by the city police.
The Second Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mysuru, R. Mendonca, said the petitioners should execute personal bonds for a sum of ₹50,000 each, with one surety for like sum in the event of their arrest by the police in the sedition case.
The conditions stipulated by the court include their surrender before the jurisdictional court within a period of one month and furnishing of bail and surety. They are not to tamper with the prosecution witness directly or indirectly, or repeat similar offences in future. The petitioners were also directed to cooperate with the investigating officer and appear before him as and when called.
The other conditions stipulate that the petitioners should appear before the officer once every 15 days, preferably on a Sunday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., till the filing of the final report or for three months, whichever is earlier. They are also to regularly attend all the hearings and to surrender their passports to the court.
The city police booked a sedition case after Ms. Nalini held aloft a placard stating “free Kashmir” during a protest against the violence at Jawaharlal Nehru University. The protest was organised by the University of Mysore’s Research Scholars’ Association and Bahujan Vidyarthi Sangha at Manasagangotri in Mysuru on January 8. The police also named Mr. Maridevaiah, president of the association, as an accused.
Against shutdown
Ms. Nalini is an alumna of the Department of Studies in Mass Communication and Journalism, UoM, who is currently pursuing a Masters degree in design at the National Institute of Designs in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. She has contended that the intention behind the placard was to request the government to bring Kashmir back to normal, following the Internet shutdown, healthcare crisis and restriction on movement there.
Subsequent to the controversy over this, the Mysuru Advocates’ Association adopted a resolution against appearing on behalf of the accused in sedition cases. However, many lawyers from different parts of the State turned up in Mysuru when Ms. Nalini’s anticipatory bail petition came up for hearing and filed their Vakalatnama.
The court heard the arguments of both sides on Friday and reserved order on the matter to Monday. While K.C. Raghunath was the counsel for Mr. Maridevaiah, Ms. Nalini was represented by several lawyers, including Jagadish Kumar, Manjunath, Prasanna, and Baburaj.
