2 Indian student leaders get bail in sedition case

NEW DELHI, March 19 (Xinhua) - - Two student leaders arrested on charges of sedition from India's prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) were freed Friday on bail, officials said.

Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, charged with "sedition" for allegedly shouting anti-India slogans along with their union president Kanhaiya Kumar last month at an event organized in the university campus.

The students deny the charges.

Kumar was granted the bail earlier this month.

"JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, arrested in a sedition case, were today granted interim bail for six months by a Delhi court," an official said. "The Judge noted that the duo should not leave the country without its prior permission."

Sedition as per Indian law amounts to inciting people to oppose their government. The maximum punishment for sedition in India is life imprisonment. The law dates back to 1870 and was introduced by the British during their time in India.

The arrest of students led to massive protests and clashes across India, besides generating a debate over "freedom of expression"in India at large.

Reports said anti-India slogans were allegedly shouted during an event on Feb 9 event at JNU to mark the hanging anniversary of 2001 parliament attack convict Mohammed Afzal Guru.

Guru, a Kashmiri was convicted for 2001 Indian parliament attack building and executed in 2013. Many in India and Indian-controlled Kashmir believe Guru was denied fair-trail.

India's former federal minister P Chidambaram also stated there were "grave doubts" about the involvement of Guru and that the case was "perhaps not correctly decided".

Reports earlier this week said a panel nominated by university to probe its students facing sedition charges has recommended expulsion of five students including Kumar, Khalid and Bhattacharya for violating norms inside the campus. Endit