The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a Manipuri student activist’s plea challenging his arrest in a sedition case filed against him for a critical post about the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill on social media, PTI reported. Veewon Thokchom was arrested by the Manipur Police in Delhi on Friday.
Judge Sunil Gaur observed that prima facie it appears that Thokchom’s social media post was an attempt to “bring hatred and to incite disaffection towards the government”, ANI reported.
A Delhi court had on Saturday granted three-day remand to the Manipur Police to take the student leader to the state. However, in his petition, Thokchom had argued that the transit remand was defective and sought that it be quashed. His counsel claimed that the transit remand order suffered from “non-application of mind”, PTI reported.
Thokchom’s petition made the state of Manipur and the Delhi Police as parties, claiming that his arrest was illegal. After going through the first information report, no criminal offence was being made out, Thokchom’s counsel contended.
Meanwhile, the Manipur Police claimed that misleading facts were being placed before the court by the activist’s lawyer.
Thokchom, a former president of Manipur Students’ Association Delhi, was arrested from his rented house in Saket in New Delhi on February 15. His arrest came on the basis of an FIR filed at Lamlei police station in Imphal East district. He was charged under sedition for allegedly inciting violence.
Superintendent of Police Imphal East district K Meghchandra had told reporters on Friday that preliminary investigation had established that deliberate planning was made by Thokchom and his associates “to spread hatred, incite violence” during the protests against the bill in Manipur, The Indian Express reported.
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