The Delhi High Court today fixed for March 23 the hearing on the pleas seeking cancellation of interim bail granted to JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case.

“The petitions have been received on transfer. Renotify for March 23,” Justice Suresh Kait said.

However, when the judge fixed the hearing on next date, advocate R P Luthra, who appeared for one of the petitioners seeking cancellation of interim bail as well as initiation of perjury proceedings against Kanhaiya, told the bench that it was an urgent matter and it should be heard on March 21.

“My request is that since it is a sensitive and urgent matter, it should be heard on Monday (March 21),” Luthra said, adding that the country’s reputation is at stake.

The bench declined his oral request saying, “The police is there and they are taking care of it.”

Luthra, who appeared for petitioner Prashant Kumar Umrao, insisted that the matter be heard on Monday, saying due to the speeches given by Kanhaiya after his release on interim bail, “the damage is being multiplied”.

Yesterday, the matter came up for hearing before Justice Pratibha Rani who referred it to the Chief Justice for allocating it before an appropriate bench after Luthra had objected to the warning that petitioners may have to bear the cost on dismissal of their pleas.

The plea filed by Umrao alleged that Kanhaiya had “deliberately and wilfully filed a false affidavit” before the court while securing the interim bail.

Another petitioner, Vineet Jindal, also sought cancellation of Kanhaiya’s bail on the ground that his speech subsequent to his release was “anti-national” and thus he violated the bail conditions.

Earlier, the High Court had refused to entertain a plea seeking action against Kanhaiya for allegedly making anti-national remarks in his speech, saying there is law and order in place for handling instances where anti-national slogans are being raised and the petitioner need not worry about the image of the nation.

Kanhaiya, who was granted six months interim bail on March 2, is facing sedition charges in connection with an event at JNU on February 9 where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised and Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru hailed as a ‘martyr’.

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