Court Clears Shehla Rashid in 2019 Sedition Case

The Patiala House Court has approved the withdrawal of a sedition case against former JNUSU leader Shehla Rashid. The Delhi Police moved forward under Lt Governor’s directive to dismiss the charges stemming from her 2019 tweets about the Indian Army, which were linked to unverified human rights violations.

The Patiala House Court, in a significant legal development, has permitted the withdrawal of a sedition case filed in 2019 against former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) leader Shehla Rashid Shora. The case revolved around her controversial tweets concerning the Indian Army's activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

On February 27, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Anuj Kumar Singh granted the Delhi Police's request to drop the charges. This move follows the withdrawal of prosecution sanction by Delhi's Lieutenant Governor, V K Saxena, who had initially approved the legal proceedings against Rashid. A senior official has corroborated this legal adjustment.

The Delhi Police's Special Cell presented their application under section 321 CrPC, noting the Screening Committee's endorsement to retract the prosecution. Rashid's 2019 tweets alleged human rights violations by the armed forces, accusations that the Indian Army firmly dismissed as unfounded. Her case was initially instigated based on complaints by Supreme Court lawyer Alakh Alok Srivastava.

(With inputs from agencies.)