Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and Kejriwal are among nine people who have been booked on sedition charges.
Highlights
- JNU row: Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal among 9 booked for sedition
- Hyderabad lawyer, claiming no political affiliations, files charges
- JNU students Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid also named in FIR
A case of sedition has been registered in Hyderabad against Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, CPI leader D Raja, CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and five others in connection with the JNU row.
A local lawyer, Janardhan Goud, who claims to not have any political affiliations, filed a complaint in court after which a case was registered in the Saroornagar police station.
Others named in the First Information Report include Congress leaders Anand Sharma and Ajay Maken, JD(U) Spokesperson KC Tyagi, JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and JNU research scholar Umar Khalid.
"It is a court-referred matter. Following the court's directive, a case under section 124A of the IPC (sedition) has been registered yesterday against nine persons, including Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Sitaram Yechury, JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and others," Inspector S Lingaiah said.
The court has posted the matter for hearing on March 4.
In his petition, Goud said Rahul and other leaders, despite being aware that Delhi Police had registered a case against Kanhaiya on charge of sedition had visited JNU campus and knowingly supported them and hence it "amounted to sedition".
Kanhaiya and Khalid, who have earlier been arrested in Delhi on sedition charge, have also been booked again on the same charge.
Mr Goud had filed a complaint in the court of Metropolitan Magistrate here on Thursday, seeking its direction to police for registration of a case against Kanhaiya and Khalid for allegedly raising anti-India and pro-Afzal Guru slogans on JNU campus and others.