The JNU high-level inquiry team has given orders to rusticate Umar Khalid and a fine of Rs 10,000 is imposed on Kanhaiya Kumar following the February 9, 2016 incident in which the students union of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) with some students allegedly raising anti- India slogans.
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The five-member panel also imposed fines on 13 other students for violation of disciplinary norms. The students had then moved the Delhi High Court, which had directed the university to place the matter before an appellate authority to review the panel’s decision.
“The penalty has also been reduced for some students like Ashutosh Kumar is now supposed to pay only the fine and will be allowed to continue staying in the hostel. Some of them are no longer JNU students so the punishment won’t apply to them,” “The accused students were permitted to inspect the documents and videos of evidences during the review proceedings of the panel and were also given an opportunity to appear before the appellate authority to present their defence,” according to the reports.
“Even after over two years, Delhi Police has not been able to file charge sheet in the sedition case. This witch-hunting of students in name of the high-level enquiry committee is nothing but part of an anti-JNU campaign which the students will not accept,” said Sucheta De, National President, All India Students Association (AISA).
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Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya were arrested in February 2016 on charges of sedition in connection with the controversial event and are out on bail. Their arrests triggered a lot of protests.