Delhi govt no less ill-informed than Centre in understanding sedition law: Chidambaram

P Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday hit out at the Delhi government for its sanction to prosecute former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and nine others in connection with a sedition case, saying the Kejriwal dispensation is "no less ill-informed than the Centre" in its understanding of the sedition law.

The Delhi government has given a go-ahead to the city police to prosecute former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar and nine others in connection with a four-year-old sedition case, as the ruling AAP denied the persistent BJP charge of blocking the proceedings in the matter.

"Delhi Government is no less ill-informed than the central government in its understanding of sedition law," Chidambaram tweeted.

"I strongly disapprove of the sanction granted to prosecute Mr Kanhaiya Kumar and others for alleged offences under sections 124A and 120B of IPC," the former home minister said.

The sanction was granted by the Delhi government on February 20, he said.

The Delhi Police had last year filed the charge sheet at a city court against Kanhaiya Kumar and others, saying he was leading a procession and supported seditious slogans at an event in February 2016.

It also charged former JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya with allegedly shouting anti-India slogans during the event to commemorate the hanging of Parliament-attack mastermind Afzal Guru.

The prosecution sanction was granted nearly a year after a city court asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to take a decision within a reasonable timeframe and noted that the delay was leading to violation of the due process of law.