Give details of students: Delhi HC to JNU on contempt plea
New Delhi:
The Delhi High Court on Friday sought to know from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) about the academic details of students against whom it had filed a contempt plea for protesting within 100 metres of the administrative block.
Terming it “shocking”, Justice AK Chawla asked the university to provide details of students named in the contempt petition, including their courses, its status and duration of stay in the campus.
“It is shocking you file contempt and you don’t know anything about the students, one of whom was convicted for contempt last year also. You only know the room numbers (of the students),” the court said.
The remarks came after the Registrar of JNU and other officials, present in the hearing, were unable to give details about one of the nine students -- Geeta Kumari -- who according to the varsity was last year held guilty of contempt by the high court for protesting near the administrative block.
“How long she has been studying there? Shouldn’t the Registrar know? Is that not a basic thing? Do you know which course she or others are studying? No? Why not,” the court said.
Appearing for JNU, central government standing counsel Monika Arora, submitted that Kumari was last year held guilty of contempt by the high court for being part of an agitating group that blocked access to the admin block.
She said in August 2017, the high court had directed that students will not hold protests within 100 metres of the administrative block and will not block access to it. She said both students and the police violated the high court’s order of August 9, 2017.
Advocate Ramesh Singh, standing counsel of Delhi government, representing the police, opposed the plea.
“This is browbeating. Complete browbeating. How can contempt be filed against Commissioner of Delhi Police when JNU has made the request to the SHO. The SHO could have been made a party. In such sensitive matters, some sensitivity should be shown,” he said.
The matter would be now heard on December 20.
