The Delhi High Court today directed JNU to allow three students, who were penalised for misconduct during different protests, to submit their thesis and register for courses.
The court asked the students to file appeals before the varsity's vice chancellor challenging the punishments imposed by JNU.
It granted them liberty to file appeals within two weeks.
Justice Siddharth Mridul directed JNU to dispose of the appeals expeditiously and made it clear that the appellate authority shall abide by principles of natural justice and accord an opportunity to the three students to defend the findings in the proctorial enquiry.
The court said till the time, the university takes a decision on the appeals, JNU is directed "not to take any coercive steps against the three students and that they are granted all facilities, including the acceptance of thesis, accommodation and registration for process of studies as it is necessary for them to continue their studies in the institution."
It also directed the students -- Geeta Kumari, Vikas Yadav and Mukesh Kumar -- to participate in the proceedings before the vice-chancellor and to abstain from a conduct which is unbecoming of a student or disrupt the sanctity of the institution.
The court asked the varsity to video record the proceedings before the vice-chancellor.
Senior advocate Salman Khurshid and advocates Nikhil Bhalla and Harsh Bawa, appearing for Yadav and Kumar, said the order passed by the chief proctor was arbitrary and initiated with malicious intentions and such a hasty action against them jeopardises their academic record and career ahead.
According to the petition, JNU's NSUI president Yadav and vice president Kumar had started a peaceful symbolic protest on February 5 against the rule of compulsory attendance and seat cuts and 100 per cent weighage to vice-voce in M.Phil and Ph.D courses in the university.
Later, the chief proctor passed an order withdrawing the hostel facility of Yadav and transferring the hostel of Kumar along with a fine of Rs 20,000 each.
JNU students union president Geeta Kumari was held guilty for being involved in protest, obstruction, confinement, physical abuse and manhandling against the Dean of Students on March 12.
She was fined Rs 10,000 and also transferred to another hostel from her present accommodation.
JNU counsel Monika Arora said the students should file an appeal before the appellate authority of the university instead of directly approaching the court.
The court had earlier directed JNU to allow submission of thesis and hostel facility for five students who were penalised in connection with a 2016 campus event in which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.
The five students along with 10 others, including former JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar, were found guilty of violation of disciplinary norms in connection with the February 9, 2016, incident on the campus by a five-member panel of the university.
On February 9, 2016, a poetry event was held at JNU in connection with the third anniversary of Guru's hanging for his role in the attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001.
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