FIR against students blocking admin block: JNU tells HC

NEW DELHI: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Monday told the Delhi High Court that it has lodged an FIR against students who have been blocking access to the varsity’s administrative block.

The varsity, however, said its officials would need police assistance to enter the administrative block and sought such a relief from Justice V K Rao, who is hearing the pleas of several JNU students seeking copies of their mark sheets and certificates to pursue further studies or apply for jobs.

The court refused to issue any such direction, saying the varsity has to seek its own remedies.

“Only for providing mark sheets you need police? I do not understand this. The university has to take appropriate remedy. It must take an appropriate remedy,” the judge said and added that otherwise students will keep approaching the court, one after another, for relief.

It asked JNU to provide, to the petitioners, the names and details of the students named by it in the FIR, so that they can be made a party to the matter and listed it for hearing on March 1.

The court wanted the students named in FIR to be made a party, as it was of the view that they would be affected by any order passed in the petition.

During the hearing, senior advocate Aman Lekhi, appearing for the petitioners, contended that the varsity appeared to be intimidated by the protesting students.

“They (JNU) are afraid. It is clear,” he said.

He said the protestors have no right to agitate where they are as there is an appropriate place and time for such activities.

The Central government standing counsel Monika Arora, appearing for JNU, informed the judge about lodging of the FIR pursuant to the court’s query on February 17 as to why the varsity had not taken legal recourse against the blockade of its administrative block. She also said that the set of students who were blocking the block keeps changing.

Around 150-200 students have been blocking access to the block since February 9, protesting against a May 2016 notification of the University Grants Commission which set a limit of eight students per professor for Mphil and PHD courses, the petitioners have claimed.