Ensure safety of Kanhaiya Kumar, SC to Delhi Police chief

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that it will be the personal responsibility of Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi to ensure the safety of JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, as it was told that he was severely beaten up while being brought to the court premises earlier in the day.

The apex court bench of Justice J.Chelameswar and Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre said that it would be the responsibility of police to ensure that besides Kanhaiya Kumar, all those who attended the court proceedings in pursuance of its morning order leave the court premises in safety.

The court order came after it was told by senior counsel Ajit Kumar Sinha, appearing for Delhi Police, that Bassi has told him that he takes personal responsibility for the safety of Kanhaiya Kumar while he is taken out of the court premises.

Sinha had taken instructions inside the court room from the police commissioner on the directions of the court, asking if police commissioner can guarantee safety and security of Kanhaiya Kumar who has been accused of sedition.

The court adjourned the hearing till 2 p.m. on Thursday, permitting a team of lawyers to submit their report about their assessment of the situation that prevailed in the Patiala House court complex when they visited it on its post-lunch direction.

The court also sought a report from the registrar general of the high court who too was present in the court room of the metropolitan magistrate on instructions of the apex court.

The court gave Delhi Police till Friday morning to submit its report, as it directed the next hearing of the matter on Monday.