The tussle between the ASG and the AAP Government once again surfaced on Monday during the hearing of Kanhaiya Kumar’s bail plea in the Delhi High Court with Centre’s stand to keep the JNUSU president in jail being vehemently opposed by the Delhi Government’s counsel.
AAP Government’s advocate Rahul Mehra opposed contention of ASG Tushar Mehta that there was evidence that Kanhaiya raised anti-India slogans during the event organised on the JNU campus on February 9 and said he was “innocent” as there was “no clinching evidence” against him.
“As a State, I pray the court to grant him bail,” Mehra told Justice Pratibha Rani and elaborated that “Kanhaiya had not raised any anti-India slogans.” “There is no clear CCTV footage. He is innocent. He is a man who stands by the Constitution,” he said.
The Delhi Government’s stand came while opposing submissions of the Centre and police, which through ASG Mehta, defended the arrest of Kanhaiya saying there was evidence, including pamphlets and statements of the witnesses, which clearly state that Kanhaiya and others were shouting anti-India slogans and were holding Afzal Guru’s posters. The ASG also submitted that there was a joint probe of the Intelligence Bureau and the Delhi Police in which the arrested accused were found raising slogans.
Countering his submissions, the Delhi Government’s counsel questioned the investigation done by the Delhi Police in the case and said there were many aspects which were not probed properly by police. “I am not a mouthpiece of the investigating agency. I want to raise certain questions on the probe done by police,” he said. Mehra told the Bench that police has no answers as to who took permission to organise the event on the JNU but it was not Kanhaiya.