Thank you: Kanhaiya on sedition charges

February 29, 2020 08:01

Left leader Kanhaiya Kumar alleged he was being targeted ahead of the assembly polls in Bihar this year when asked about the Aam Aadmi Party giving its nod to his prosecution in a long-pending sedition case.

Kanhaiya Kumar also pointed to other cases - like Davinder Singh, the senior Jammu and Kashmir cop caught last month while travelling to Delhi with three Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists - and accused the government of misusing the sedition law for political gains.

"Look at the timing. Chargesheet was filed before Lok Sabha elections (he contested from Bihar's Begusarai seat). Now I am preparing for Bihar (Assembly polls later this year). The country should know how sedition laws are misused for political benefit. There was no sedition case against Davinder Singh..." the Communist Party of India leader said, adding, "I did not raise anti-national slogans".

Kumar also refused to question why the AAP had permitted his prosecution after sitting on an application by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police for over a year; the application was filed on January 19, 2019, after a Delhi court rejected a chargesheet on procedural grounds.

"I don't want to comment on why AAP permitted prosecution. All I want is speedy trial, by a fast-track court, and a decision on this matter to come from the courts... and not from a trial sitting in a TV studio," Kumar added, appealing to officials to "ensure justice by following due process without succumbing to political pressure". He also said he had full faith in the judicial system.

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