Delhi High Court declines probe into JNU case

New Delhi - Harvard, Cambridge and Yale academics back students as protests intensify

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) sedition case in which anti-India slogans were allegedly raised, saying the plea was "premature" as the police is already investigating the matter."It is an incident of February 9.
Delhi Police is probing the matter. Let the police investigate first. We cannot step in unless necessary," a bench of Justice Manmohan said, adding, "The present writ petition is premature and is dismissed."During the hearing, the counsel, appearing for petitioner Ranjana Agnihotri told the court that this is a serious and sensitive matter as anti-India slogans were raised in-side the JNU campus.
Advocate Hari Shankar Jain, the counsel for the petitioner, argued that sovereignty and integrity of the country were threatened by a few students and people associated with the university and "hostile foreign forces" were trying to destabilise the country.The bench, however, observed: "We are not politicians. We just can-not jump into things."The investigation is on. The police, law and order are taken care of by the government and let them do the needful first."During the proceedings, the counsel for the Centre submitted that it was a fact that anti-national slogans were raised in the university campus but whether there was a "youthful error or any conspiracy" behind it is being probed by Delhi Police.
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The counsel for the Delhi government said: "Who instigated these people is being probed by the police and we should wait till the probe is on."Groups of students, journalists and teachers gathered for protests in Delhi on Tuesday after a student union leader's arrest and subsequent violence by right-wing activists.On Tuesday, the students were joined by JNU teachers for their demonstration inside the gated, university campus to demand the release of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar.Academics at foreign universities, including Harvard, Cambridge and Yale, also extended support to JNU students agitation."As teachers, students, and scholars across the world, we are watching with extreme concern the situation unfolding at JNU and re-fuse to remain silent as our col-leagues (students, staff, and faculty) resist the illegal detention and autocratic suspension of students," said a statement posted on a blog run by academics and signed by 455 scholars, many of whom are of JNU alumni of Indian descent.
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Most university classes were still suspended, according to PhD science student Pamchui, who goes by one name.Journalists also marched through central New Delhi on Tuesday, after several were reportedly attacked by mobs while trying to cover Monday's protests. Journalist unions demand-ed better protection for reporters in the field, and accused police of standing by during the attacks.The opposition Congress Party accused supporters of the BJP of being behind attacks on students, academics and journalists who had gone to the court for the hearing.
It condemned police for failing to protect them."Indian National Congress strongly condemns the barbaric and inhuman attack in Patiala House Court yesterday on journalists, young students and teachers by BJP goons," said Kapil Sibal, a senior party leader. "Delhi police remained a mute spectator as young students, teachers and journalists were assaulted and thrashed with impunity, inside the court rooms, in the court complex and outside it."Gulshan Sachdeva, a professor at the JNU's Centre for European Studies who joined Tuesday's strike, said the controversy had "brought a bad name to the university"."People are talking without understanding what the real issue is," he told AFP by phone.JNU faculty member Rohith Azad, who was among those targeted at the court on Monday, said the university was being "openly attacked"."The entire world is now refer-ring to JNU as a hub of antinationals on (the) basis of propaganda," the teacher told The Hindu newspaper.On Tuesday a small group of right-wing Hindu nationalists burnt an effigy outside the university premises and called JNU students "traitors". 

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