HC asks JNU to reply on students’ plea challenging rustication

New Delhi, Sep 7 (PTI) With two JNU students challengingtheir rustication for a few semesters in connection with thecontroversial February 9 event in the campus, the Delhi HighCourt today asked the varsity to respond to their pleas. Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva also asked the university tofile reply on separate petitions filed by three other JNUstudents who have also moved the court against the fineimposed on them by the appellate authority. During the hearing, the advocate appearing for the twostudents, who were rusticated for a few semesters, said thatJNU should be asked not to take action against their clientstill their pleas are pending. To this, the court said, "there is an oral assurance (byJNU’s counsel) that no action will be taken now." The court fixed the pleas of these two students forhearing tomorrow when it would also hear arguments on thepetitions of two other JNU students, Umar Khalid and AnirbanBhattacharya, who have also challenged the penalty imposed onthem by the authority. While Khalid has been rusticated from the university tillDecember this year, Bhattacharya has been directed to be outof the varsity for five years. The pleas by three more students who have challenged thefines imposed on them would be heard on October 19. Yesterday, JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar had claimed inthe court that penalty imposed on him by the appellateauthority was "completely incorrect" and varsity should not"fight" with its students in such a manner. In its August 22 order, the authority had imposed a fineof Rs 10,000 on Kanhaiya and asked him to give an undertakingthat he would not get involved in any unauthorised event andabide by all rules and regulations. The order by the appellate authority had come on theappeals filed by several students against the findings of ahigh-level enquiry committee which was set up to look into thematter relating to the February 9 event in which anti-Indiaslogans were allegedly raised inside the campus. The high court has asked JNU not to implement the orderof authority till the next date of hearing on these pleas. Kanhaiya, Khalid and Bhattacharya were earlier arrestedin a sedition case in connection with the February 9 event oncampus against hanging of Parliament attack convict AfzalGuru. They are now out on bail. PTI ABA PPSARC