Court takes cognisance of chargesheet against 3 Kashmiri students

AGRA: The chief judicial magistrate court in

Agra

has taken cognisance of the chargesheet that was filed by Agra police on Tuesday against three

Kashmiri

students who were charged with sedition for allegedly cheering Pakistan in a T20 cricket match the country played against India last year. Their bail applications have been rejected. The three students, all between 20-21 years, have been in Agra district jail since October 2021.

Raising objections over the court’s decision, defence lawyer Madhuvan Dutt Chaturvedi said the court can’t take cognisance of the chargesheet without prior approval for prosecution from the central or state government. “This is outside the court’s jurisdiction,” he said. “Taking the state or central government’s approval is mandatory. The police investigation is incomplete despite taking 90-day custody of the students. ”

Senior prosecuting officer Vinod Yadav said the chargesheet was filed by police within the allocated time of 90 days and the sanction from the state government has already been “applied for”.