IO delayed filing of chargesheet after trio’s arrest in February
HUBBALLI:
Three Kashmiri students studying in Hubballi, who were arrested on charges of sedition in February, were released on bail on Thursday after the investigating officer delayed filing of the chargesheet.
The trio 3 were arrested on February 14 — the anniversary of the Pulwama suicide attack that killed 40 Indian soldiers — for allegedly shouting slogans like ‘Pakistan Zindabad’.
On June 6, they were granted bail because the chargesheet was filed after a week’s delay on June 4. As per law, the police have to file a chargesheet within 90 days of an arrest.
A preliminary enquiry has been ordered against the investigating officer, said an official in the police department.
A video of the three students shouting pro-Pakistan slogans had gone viral in February, following which they were arrested and charged under section 124 A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code. A local court had rejected the students’ bail application in March.