New Delhi: A Delhi court on Friday granted bail to all 14 Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students who were arrested during a march from the varsity campus to the Union Ministry of Education (MoE).
The accused, including three office-bearers of the JNU Students’ Union, were produced before the Patiala House Court after being arrested during a confrontation with police on Thursday.
The court granted bail to all 14 students on a bond of Rs 25,000 each.
During the hearing, the Delhi Police submitted that judicial custody of the accused was necessary to carry forward the investigation, claiming that the protest had turned violent.
According to the police, around 300 protesters attempted to take out a “Long March” without permission. When police personnel tried to stop them by putting up barricades, the protesters allegedly engaged in scuffles and assaulted officers.
The police maintained that the demonstration was not peaceful and that several personnel sustained injuries during the clash.
The investigating agency further informed the court that several 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, counsel for the accused submitted that the students were willing to cooperate with the investigation and were prepared to furnish a written undertaking to that effect before the court.
After hearing both sides, the court granted bail to all 14 accused on furnishing bail bonds of Rs 25,000 each.
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 on officers, while the students and the JNU Teachers Association condemned “excessive use of force and violation of democratic rights”.
(IANS)
