Delhi's Patiala House Court on Tuesday granted the police a two-day custody of former Delhi University professor SAR Geelani, who was arrested on Monday on sedition charges. The Delhi Police claimed Geelani organised an event at the Press Club of India in support of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, reported NDTV.
The Indian Express reported that a group of people allegedly shouted anti-national slogans at the Press Club event, following which a case was registered against Geelani under sections 124A (sedition), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code. Geelani was earlier accused of being the mastermind behind the 2001 Parliament attack, but was acquitted in 2003 due to lack of evidence.
In response to a show-cause notice issued by the Press Club of India earlier this week, another DU professor, Ali Javed, who had booked the venue for Geelani, said he was misled into believing they would hold a debate on Kashmir at the venue. Javed said he was surprised when it turned out to be an event about Afzal Guru, Times Now reported.
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