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After buying peace for PM visit, Panjab University puts more riders on offer to withdraw court case against students
Panjab University tells students that they must lift their dharna from the vice-chancellor’s office for the varsity to withdraw the court case against them.
A day after successfully buying peace for the Prime Minister’s visit, Panjab University (PU) told protesting students in the court on Wednesday that they must lift their dharna from the vice-chancellor’s office for the varsity to withdraw the court case against them.
While the official order of the hearing is awaited, the counsel for PU, Anita Ahuja, said that the letter sent to the students on Monday night –when students were planning to burn effigies of the PM during his visit to the city -- was meant to inform them and not a compromise. “We argued in court that this was neither a compromise nor a settlement as it should have had an offer and acceptance, which wasn’t there in the letter,” she said.
Ahuja added that it was important to inform the students about the PM’s visit to Punjab Engineering College (PEC) on Tuesday, to keep the situation from escalating, as was seen on November 13 when students had disrupted Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s event at the law auditorium. “We have prayed for interim relief from the court to avoid such situations in future,” she added.
Co-counsel Karanveer Ahuja stated that PU will withdraw the case if students abide by the original petition which asked students to not hold protests within 500 metres of the V-C’s office and other official buildings. The protests can be held peacefully within the designated protest site. In the petition, they have also asked for an injunction from blocking roads, obstructing people from visiting the V-C office, and from causing damage to the property.
PU registrar YP Verma was also present in court to record his statement on Wednesday. The counsels for the six student parties submitted a copy of the letter by the registrar to the court.
Counsel for Students Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU), Kanwar Sandhu said, “This letter was not just for information, a meeting was held in the presence of university officials and the police, and these conditions were offered to the students, which have later been written as a letter by the registrar.”
He added that the court had observed that the university doesn’t seem ready to reach an agreement, and December 7 has been given as the date to file the replies before the case now proceeds in the manner of a trial. Till the filing of this report, the court order was not available.
No word on quashing of FIR either
A day after PU had informed students that if they don’t burn effigies, then the varsity will initiate the process to quash the FIR registered against 14 students on November 13, PU is yet to send any official communication to the police regarding this.
Dean students welfare (DSW) Amit Chauhan said that the letter has already been sent to the PU registrar from the PU chief of university security Vikram Singh. However, the registrar confirmed that the university has not yet written to the police.
A police official stated that quashing the FIR involves a higher court, typically the high court, so as to prevent legal misuse. The high court may consider quashing if the FIR does not detail a cognisable offence, allegations lack clarity or substance, or the issue is civil rather than criminal. In this case, students tried to force their way into the law auditorium while the CM was present, posing a security risk. The accused or the aggrieved party must file a quashing petition in the appropriate high court. If the court deems the FIR unfounded or frivolous, it may dismiss the FIR, terminating the criminal proceedings.
