Court reserves order on Gilani's bail plea

Delhi Police today opposed the bail plea of ex-Delhi University lecturer S A R Gilani, arrested under sedition charges in connection with a Press Club event here, saying the event was "an attack on the soul of India" and it was "contempt of court." Additional Sessions Judge reserved the order for today itself after the arguments in which Gilani's counsel said that there were no evidences against him that he raised the alleged anti-Indian slogans, adding that criticising Supreme Court judgement was not contempt of court. "Kashmir is an integral part of the nation. But they were celebrating the persons, Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat, who were convicted by Supreme Court. They were terming them as martyrs which was affecting the people and it was contempt of court. "If he had not liked the SC judgement, he could have thought in his mind and within the four walls of the his house. But he had assembled people for the meeting in the heart of the Capital for that purpose which was an attack on the soul of India," police said while opposing the bail plea. Gilani's counsel, however, sought bail for him, claiming that as per the FIR itself, the people raising slogans there were stopped by office bearers of the Press Club of India and asked to leave the venue to which they agreed to. "There is nothing on record that Gilani shouted anti-India slogans or asked others to do so. It was a meeting of intellectuals to discuss the Kashmir issue. I had organised the event as I am Vice President of one of the committees for demanding release of the political prisoners. "There was nothing in the event which led to any violence as there was nothing that could be called incitement. The prosecution has not pointed out that I was the one raising slogans or asked others to do so. And even if I did so, that doesn't come under 124A as it did not create any violence or incitement for the violence," the counsel for Gilani said, adding that as per the SC orders itself, shouting slogans merely doesn't consist 124-A. He further said that Gilani is already in jail for last around one month and not required for the probe any further. "His presence can also not influence any person and he is not capable to influence the investigation," the counsel said. He added that the credibility of the videos run by a news channel, on the basis of which the FIR registered, has itself come under doubt. .