Patna, March 2 (IANS) Soon after Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar was granted interim bail by the Delhi High Court on Wednesday, a sense of relief, happiness and joy swept his house in his village in Bihar's Begusarai district.

"My father's face was smeared with colours by some villagers to express their happiness after we got news of Kanhaiya was granted bail," Kanhaiya's younger brother Prince Kumar said.

Prince said that it was after a gap of over a fortnight that their mother - Meena Devi - smiled and expressed her happiness. "Some villagers put colour on her head and also smeared on her face."

He said even his father put colour on some neighbours and close relatives. "It is like as if we have celebrated Holi ahead of Holi in a simple manner. After all, we are simple people."

Prince said the mood at their village house suddenly turned celebratory.

"Hum kafi khush hain, yeh khusi ka samay hain hamere liye. Nayay ki jeet hui hai, hum sab ki jeet hai (we are delighted. This is a time of happiness for us. It's a victory of justice and victory of all of us)," Kanhaiya's mother Meena Devi said over telephone from Bihat village.

Meena Devi, who works at an Anganwadi in the village, said she was restless since Tuesday but hopeful that her son would get justice.

Sitting in their modest home in Bihar's Begusarai, Kumar's family members were glued all the day to news channels on television before they heard about Kanhaiya's bail.

Kanhaiya's father Jaishankar Singh, who is paralysed, said this was a victory of the people who stood for democratic rights and justice for poor.

"I am very happy today. From the beginning, I am saying that my son is not anti-national. He is a nationalist like other youths of his age group. The court proved it with its order. This is the victory of truth," Singh said.

"These are all false cases and ultimately he will be proved innocent. It is a political conspiracy," said Singh.

Kanhaiya's younger brother Prince said hours before TV news channel broke this news, hundreds of people gathered at their house.

"My house is full of people now. Our family members, close relatives, neighbours, villagers and people from nearby villages have gathered to give us strength and hope for justice."

He said the family, including his parents, repeatedly said that Kanhaiya was not an anti-national and that he was arrested on wrong charge of sedition.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted six-month interim bail to Kanhaiya - who was arrested on February 12 on charge of raising anti-national slogans, a charge he denied, at the JNU campus on February 9 to mark the third anniversary of the execution of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

Justice Pratibha Rani ordered the bail after asking the JNUSU president to furnish a surety of Rs.10,000.

Kanhaiya's parents have been kept under tight security ever since he was assaulted in a New Delhi court on February 15 and 17.