Indian court grants bail to Kashmiri students accused of celebrating Pakistan cricket win

The students spent five months in jail and face charges under sedition, cybercrime and terrorism laws

Women protest in Srinagar, the main city in India-administered Kashmir, on November 1, 2021, against charges filed against students who allegedly celebrated a win over India by Pakistan's cricket teamShow more

An Indian court has granted bail to three Kashmiri students jailed for five months after being accused of celebrating Pakistan’s victory over India in the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup last year.

Engineering students Arsheed Yusuf, Inayat Altaf Sheikh and Showkat Ahmed Ghani were arrested at their college in Uttar Pradesh state in October after complaints from right-wing groups that they posted messages on WhatsApp praising Pakistan's win.

They were charged under sedition, cybercrime and terrorism laws and went on trial in January.

The Allahabad High Court granted them bail on Wednesday but has not yet set the amount, said Madhuvan Dutt Chaturvedi, the lawyer representing the students.

Previous bail applications were rejected by lower courts and the local bar association refused to provide legal representation for the three over claims that they were “anti-nationals”.

“They have been granted bail until the conclusion of the trial. They will be allowed to go back to their home in Kashmir and will have to appear on the fixed dates,” Mr Dutt told The National.

“We had to move to the High Court directly, which took time – there was a pile-up of cases due to Covid-19 that delayed the process,” he said.

At least five other people were arrested on similar charges after Pakistan's win but it is not clear whether they are still being detained.

India and Pakistan have a hostile relationship stemming from their competing claims to sovereignty over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, where each controls a part. A decades-long insurgency in Indian-administered Kashmir has claimed thousands of lives.

The rivalry often extends to sport, particularly cricket – which is followed passionately in both countries.

Citizens in each country often often face a backlash for expressing positive opinions about the other.

Last week a young woman was arrested in India's Karnataka state after she posted a message on Pakistan's National Day that said: “May Allah bless every nation with unity, peace and wealth."

She was charged with promoting enmity between groups on the basis of religion and race and for making inflammatory statements.