The Delhi High Court Tuesday reportedly refused to grant interim protection from arrest till Wednesday to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, who are facing sedition charges for allegedly shouting anti-India slogans on the campus Feb. 9 at an event organised on the third anniversary of the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.
The court asked them to surrender and follow legal procedure, the Indian Express reports. Agreeing to the student's request to allow them to surrender at a secret place, the court said they can surrender at a location of their choice.
The Delhi High Court will hear their petition seeking security at the time of surrender, India Today reports.
The two JNU students, along with three college-mates, disappeared from the campus Feb. 12, the day JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested on charges of sedition and criminal conspiracy. They returned Sunday.
Earlier Tuesday, Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi opposed the bail plea of Kumar, saying he was was "bound to influence investigation and witnesses that is why we have opposed his bail".
The students have been accused of shouting pro-Pakistani slogans and slogans seeking "destruction" of India. They allegedly shouted "Kashmir ki azadi tak jung chalegi, Bharat ki barbadi tak jung chalegi" at the event, India Today reports.
