The ongoing faceoff between the Delhi Police and the AAP Government over JNU Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar’s sedition case has reached lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung with the investigating agency making a fervent appeal to the l-G not to allow the Delhi Government’s senior standing counsel Rahul Mehra to represent it in the case in any court.
The l-G, in turn, has responded by giving his approval for appointment of Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Tushar Mehta and ASG Sanjay Jain to represent the Delhi Police in the JNU case as the hearing of the bail plea of JNU leader Kanhaiya was held on Tuesday at 10:30 am in the High Court.
Four top lawyers have been appointed by the l-G.
The AAP Government-appointee Rahul Mehra has been representing the Delhi Government in a host of contentious issues in various courts. As Mehra is said to be having close links with the AAP leadership, there is fear in the Delhi Police that he may not represent the force properly as his Government was already at loggerheads with the Delhi Police.
The documents accessed by The Pioneer stated that a request was made to Raj Niwas to appoint ASG Tushar Mehta as the standing counsels so that he could represent police in the sedition case lodged against the student leader at the Vasant Kunj police station.
The l-G’s OSD Ajay Chaudhry in his letter on February 20 said Jung has accorded his approval for the appointment of Mehta as the Government counsel under section 24 (8) of the Cr.PC for representing the Delhi Police before the Delhi High Court. Besides, Mehta and Jain, Shailendra Babbar is the special Public Prosecutor in the case. law Ani Soni was also appointed the Delhi Police lawyer in the case.
Besides, the l-G has also directed that no other Government counsel or standing counsel or additional standing counsel or panel lawyer could represent police in the sedition case.
Subsequent to the l-G”s directions, ACP (Court Cell) YS Negi, through a memorandum on behalf of the Cell”s Additional Commissioner of Police, told the South District Deputy Commissioner of Police that Raj Niwas has conveyed its approval for the appointment of Mehta as the Government counsel to represent the force in the sedition case.
The copy of the memorandum have also been sent to the Delhi HighCourt Registrar General, Delhi High Court Standing Counsel and JointCommissioner of Police of the South-Eastern Range of the Delhi.