Prayagraj (UP): The Allahabad High Court has transferred the trial in a case against three Kashmiri students from the Agra chief judicial magistrate’s (CJM) court to the court of the CJM, Saharanpur. The students allegedly raised pro-Pakistan slogans following Pakistan’s victory in a T20 Cricket World Cup match against India in 2021.
Justice Om Prakash Tripathi passed the order on a transfer plea moved by the students after their counsel told the court that the District Bar Association, Agra has passed a resolution that none of the Bar members will defend the applicants. The applicants had also annexed newspapers clippings to the application in this regard.
Allowing the transfer application filed by Inayat Altaf Sheikh and two others, the court observed: “Considering the submission of the applicants and keeping in mind the facts and circumstances of the case, the court found it appropriate to transfer the case from the court of the chief judicial magistrate, Agra to the court of the CJM, Saharanpur for disposal in accordance with law.”
The three students — Sheikh, Arsheed Yusuf and Showkat Ahmed Ganai, all students of an engineering college in Agra — were arrested on October 27, 2021 after a case was registered against them at the Jagdishpura police station in Agra district. They were granted bail by the high court last year.
The applicants had directly moved the high court for bail as the lawyers’ association in Agra had reportedly refused to represent them.
Along with the bail plea, the students had also moved an application seeking a transfer of their trial from Agra to any other Uttar Pradesh district.
(PTI)

Press Trust of India