Don't block V-C, staff: Delhi HC
Tells JNU students to let Rectors pass to the administrative block.
NEW DELHI: A day after JNU students blocked the Rectors from leaving the building, the Delhi high court on Friday directed the students not to obstruct the vice-chancellor (V-C) and other staff from entering the administrative block to carry out their work.
The high court passed the interim order on the plea by the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), which stated that the protest near the administrative block was hampering its day-to-day functioning, including the disbursal salaries in connection with the Seventh Pay Commission.
The students had on Thursday blockaded the administration block demanding a meeting with the V-C on the issue of compulsory attendance and stopped the Rectors from leaving the building.
The plea had claimed that the ongoing protests in the campus were in violation of the high court's August 9, 2017 order to the students not to stage any agitation within 100 metres of the administrative block, which houses several offices, including that of the V-C.
Justice V.K. Rao said the interim order would be in force for the next three days from Saturday and said the JNU was at liberty to request police assistance to maintain law and order in the campus.
The court, however, made it clear that the order ‘should not preclude’ the students from peacefully protesting at the Sabarmati lawn in the campus away from the administrative block.
It also issued a notice to the JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) and sought its response by February 20 on the university's plea claiming that the high court's order asking them not to protest within 100 metres of the administrative block was being
violated.
Earlier, the university had said thatr the JNUSU leaders should be asked not to protest within 200 metres of the administrative block and the academic complexes according to the academic rules and regulations.
The high court had also asked the police personnel to keep away from the campus unless there was any evidence of disruption of law and order or if the university sought its assistance.