Sedition case: Inspector suspended for not filing charge-sheet

Inspector General of Police (Northern Range) Raghavendra Suhas has issued orders on Friday, suspending Hubballi Rural Police Station Inspector Jackson D’Souza on charges of dereliction of duty.

Jackson is charged with not filing a charge-sheet even after 90 days of registering an FIR, in the sedition case involving three Kashmiri students, who had reportedly raised pro-Pakistan and Azadi slogans at the hostel of KLES Institute of Technology in Hubballi.

Non-filing of charge-sheet resulted in the three students -- Ameer Wani, Basit Safi, and Talib Majid -- getting a conditional bail from the second JMFC Court in Hubballi and released from the Hindalga Jail in Belagavi on June 10. They had spent more than 110 days in jail after being charged under Section 124 (A) of Indian Penal Code. The three were booked under IPC 124(A), 153 A(J), 153 J(C), and 505 (2) to be read with section 34 of IPC.

Speaking to DH over the phone, Raghavendra Suhas said action has been initiated against the inspector for dereliction of duty. It is mandatory for all the investigating officers to file charge-sheet within 90 days of filing FIR. As the officer did not file the charge-sheet he has been suspended, he said.

Case background

A video of these three Kashmiri students, who received Union government’s scholarship, raising pro-Pakistan slogans had gone viral on social media networking site following which KLES Institute of Technology Principal Basavaraj Anami filed a complaint with Gokul Road police station on February 15.

Later, the case was shifted to Hubballi Rural Police Station as the hostel comes under its jurisdiction.

During their first appearance in the court, the students were attacked by members of right-wing organisation, following which the students were shifted from Hubballi sub-jail to Hindalga Jail in Belagavi.

Their repeated appeals for bail was earlier rejected by the court. However, on June 10, the JMFC Court granted them conditional bail (the students cannot leave Hubballi rural police jurisdiction, and with payment of Rs one lakh personal bond each), after the police failed to file a charge-sheet in the stipulated time.