After members of the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) allegedly staged a protest outside the Gokul police station in Hubli, Karnataka, three Kashmiri students who were released on Monday, have been arrested again.
The three students had been arrested on Saturday on the charges of sedition after a purported video clip of them chanting “Pakistan zindabad” on the first anniversary of the Pulwama attacks made the rounds and were let off on Sunday citing Section 169 of the CrPC that permits any person to be released for want of proper evidence.
Hubli-Dharwad Police Commissioner R Dileep told PTI, “They have been arrested again, produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody. The case has been transferred to Hubli rural police station as per the court’s direction. A proper procedure has been followed in the case.” The students have been remanded to 14 days of custody till March 2 at the Belgaum-Hindalga prison.
The Sri Ram Sene chief Pramod Muthalik had blasted the police for releasing the students who he alleged were demonstrating their “anti-India vitriol” earlier.
The students were also reportedly kept at an undisclosed location post their release on Sunday. It is also being said that the Hubli Bar Association has decided to not represent the Kashmiri students in the case.
Post this, 24 advocates filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court challenging the resolution passed by the Hubli Bar Association, reported KSM News. The petition filed by advocate BT Venkatesh and others was mentioned before a bench headed by the Chief Justice AS Oka that asked the petitioners to file an affidavit in court stating the names of the advocates who would filed vakalath for the accused before the trial court.
Stating that the decision of the Hubli Bar Association is illegal and violates the fundamental right of the accused, it says that the resolution has also created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation because of which other advocates are feeling hesitant to pick up the matter.
Seeking the quashing of the resolution by the Hubli Bar Association, the petition to be taken up for hearing on February 20 reads, “The Petitioners are all advocates practicing within the State of Karnataka. They are filing this petition as a public interest litigation, as the issues involved in this petition affect the right of legal representation of accused and the dignity of the legal profession. The issues raised herein affect the larger public interest and the fundamental right to all persons to legal representation.”
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