A court in Kashmir on December 2 granted interim bail till December 13 to seven students who were jailed under provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for celebrating the loss of India to Australia in the Cricket World Cup final on November 18.
The Ganderbal Court in central Kashmir granted bail to the seven Kashmiri students, who study at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology-Kashmir (SKUAST-K), in Ganderbal’s Shuhama.
The arrest of the seven local students followed a written complaint by a fellow student from Punjab. The non-local student, according to the First Information Report (FIR), accused the seven Kashmiri students of “abusing and targeting him for being a supporter of our country”. The Kashmiri students were accused of shouting “Jeeve Jeeve Pakistan (Long Live Pakistan)“ after India’s loss in the World Cup “creating fear amongst the students from outside the Union Territory of J&K”.
Official sources said the interim bail was granted after the J&K Police dropped charges under Section 13 of the UAPA following the legal opinion of the authorities concerned. Sources said a senior prosecuting officer, who analysed circumstances, evidence and statements, had suggested that “at this stage, as per evidences on record, (it) does not connect under section 13 UAPA but the offence under section 153-A IPC is attracted in the instant case”.
Meanwhile, former J&K Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti welcomed the development. “Glad to know that UAPA charges against SKUAST students have been dropped. Finally, good sense has prevailed and their future saved from jeopardy,” Ms. Mufti said, in a post on X.
The Ganderbal police had booked these students under Section 13 (unlawful activity punishable with imprisonment) of the UAPA, Section 505 (inciting to commit any offence against any other class or community) and Section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
