New Delhi, February 28 – Fourteen Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) protesters, who had been granted bail the previous day, approached the Delhi High Court on Saturday to expedite the document verification process and other formalities to ensure their early release from Tihar jail, a lawyer said.
On behalf of the protesters, their lawyers filed an application with the Registrar General of the High Court, requesting an expedited hearing with the aim of securing their release even before the address verification formalities were completed.
The students, including JNUSU president Aditi Mishra and other leaders, face the possibility of being held in Tihar over the weekend, possibly until Holi on March 4, due to the stringent documentation requirements, the lawyer said.
The students want to be released from judicial custody before the verification of their permanent addresses – a condition set by the Patiala House Court after granting them bail on Friday.
The court had stipulated this stringent verification requirement, noting that it was necessary as the students had been "reluctant" in disclosing their correct details and not nominating family members or friends to provide information about their arrest.
On Friday, the accused, including three office-bearers of the JNU Students’ Union, were produced before the Patiala House Court after they were arrested during a confrontation with the police on Thursday.
During the hearing, the Delhi Police stated that the accused needed to be held in judicial custody to continue the investigation, claiming that the protest had turned violent.
According to the police, around 300 protesters attempted to stage a "Long March" without permission. When police personnel tried to stop them by erecting barricades, the protesters allegedly engaged in scuffles and assaulted officers.
The police maintained that the demonstration was not peaceful and that several personnel were injured during the clash.
The investigating agency informed the court that many of the accused had previously been involved in protests where force was allegedly used, and that four separate FIRs had been registered earlier in connection with similar incidents.
Opposing the plea for judicial custody, the lawyers for the accused submitted that the students were willing to cooperate with the investigation and were prepared to provide a written undertaking to that effect before the court.
After hearing both sides, the court granted bail to all 14 accused, each providing bail bonds worth Rs 25,000.
The confrontation occurred on Thursday after students attempted to march outside the JNU campus despite the university administration stating that no permission had been granted for protests beyond the varsity premises.
The Delhi Police have maintained that the protesters resorted to violence, including physical assault of officers, while the students and the JNU Teachers Association condemned "excessive use of force and violation of democratic rights”.
