While issuing the direction to JNU, the court told the students that “there should be no hubris that you have an order from the High Court”. (Express Archive)
The Delhi High Court Tuesday directed JNU to allow submission of thesis and hostel facility to five students who were penalised in connection with a 2016 campus event, in which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised. JNU had also imposed varying fines on these students. Justice Siddharth Mridul told the varsity to ensure the students in question are allowed to submit their thesis, continue in their hostels and accept their application for registration for the next academic year.
While issuing the direction to JNU, the court told the students that “there should be no hubris that you have an order from the High Court”.
The five students, along with 10 others, including former JNU students’ union president Kanhaiya Kumar, were found guilty of violating disciplinary norms in connection with the February 9, 2016 incident on the campus, by a five-member panel of the university. The Delhi High Court had set aside Kumar’s order and stated that it “suffers from the vice of illegality, irrationality and procedural impropriety”, as a result of which Kumar was allowed to submit his thesis on Monday.
The panel, in its July 4 order, had imposed on them varying punishments, which also comprised monetary fines and withdrawal of hostel facilities. The panel’s order imposing Rs 10,000 fine on Kumar was set aside by the HC on July 20, and JNU had said it would recall its decision regarding the student leader.
Kumar and several other students, including Umar Khalid, had moved the High Court seeking quashing of the July 4 order imposing punishments on them.