JNU students Kanhaiyya Kumar and Umar Khalid. JNU students Kanhaiyya Kumar and Umar Khalid.

The JNU’s high-level inquiry committee has upheld the expulsion of Umar Khalid and also imposed fine of Rs 10,000 on Kanhaiya Kumar in connection with the campus event in February 2016 against Afzal Guru hanging.

The five-member panel took the decision in the backdrop of the protests that took place in the JNU campus with students allegedly chanting anti-national slogans against Afzal Guru’s hanging.

PTI quoted sources as saying that the panel has upheld its decision in the cases of Khalid and Kumar.

Earlier in 2016, the JNU panel had recommended the expulsion of Khalid and two other students along with the imposition of fine on Kumar, the then student’s union president.

A financial penalty was also imposed on 13 other students for violating the disciplinary norms.

Following the imposition of the penalty, the students had then approached the Delhi High Court, which had directed the varsity to place the matter before an appellate authority to review the panel’s decision.

A source told PTI that the “the penalty has also been reduced for some students like Ashutosh Kumar is now supposed to pay only the fine and will be allowed to continue staying in the hostel.” No punishment had been applied to former students of JNU.

The source as quoted by PTI, further added that during review proceedings of the panel, the accused students were permitted to vet the documents and videos of evidence and were provided with an opportunity to present their defence before the appellate authority.

However, repetitive efforts made by students to reach the JNU Rector, Proctor and the vice-chancellor resulted in vain.

According to PTI, the JNU students union claimed that the students against whom fresh letters had been issued, would appeal to the Delhi High Court.

Sucheta De, National President, All India Students Association (AISA) said that after over two years, the Delhi Police had not been able to file a chargesheet in the sedition case.

“This witch-hunting of students in name of the high-level enquiry committee is nothing but part of an anti-JNU campaign which the students will not accept,” said De.

In February 2016, Khalid, Kumar and Anirban Bhattacharya were charged with sedition and arrested in connection with the campus event, which led to massive agitation. Kumar, Khalid and Bhattacharya are out on bail.

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