JNUSU: Didn’t block access to admin block

New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) informed the Delhi high court that it has not violated its order on holding protests in the varsity as the office bearers did not block access to the administrative block.

The high court was hearing a plea moved by the JNU seeking contempt action against the JNUSU office-bearers for holding protests within 100 metres of the administrative block and thereby violating the court’s order given in August last.

However, the JNUSU stated that it did not violate the said directions and added that the order should not be viewed technically as the spirit of the direction was to prevent obstruction of any access to the building.

The JNUSU office-bearers told the court that other student bodies and a teachers’ group protested within 100 metres of the administrative block, but no action has been taken against them.

They had earlier told the high court that the reason behind the protests in the university was not holding of academic council meetings.

The students had on February 15 allegedly blockaded the administration block demanding a meeting with vice-chancellor M. Jagdesh Kumar on the issue of compulsory attendance and stopped the two rectors from leaving the building.

The court had on February 16, in an interim order, directed the students not to obstruct the vice-chancellor and other staff from entering the administrative block to carry out their work.

The interim order was passed on JNU’s plea that protests near the administrative block was hampering its daily functioning, including  disbursing salaries of its staff.

It had, 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. The arguments remained inconclusive and are expected to continue tomorrow.