Students from different organisations staging a protest at Jantar Mantar against suspension of Jamia Millia Islamia students.
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday stayed the suspension of 17 Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) students. The university suspended them last month for holding a “non-approved protest” and “vandalising public property”.
While hearing the students’ pleas against the suspension, the court remarked that participating in peaceful protests is part of the “training to inculcate the basic principles and norms of civil society.”
The suspensions were stayed till April 2 on separate pleas challenging a February 12 order of the Proctor that also barred the students from entering the campus.
The court also ordered the constitution of a “peace committee” to “calm down the situation.” Vice-Chancellor Professor Mazhar Asif will supervise the committee, which will comprise JMI officials and students’ representatives, the court added.
On February 10, several students held a sit-in on the campus against the university’s order banning protests and meetings without permission and the suspension of four PhD scholars for holding a demonstration on December 15, 2024, the fifth anniversary of clashes between the anti-CAA protesters and police on the campus.
On February 12, the Chief Proctor issued letters to 17 students, imposing an indefinite suspension and banning their entry to the campus.
A day later, 14 of them were detained by the Delhi police for “vandalising public property” and “disrupting the peaceful atmosphere”.
Hearing the petition, Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma questioned the manner in which the university handled the protest.
“Without going into the veracity of the submissions of either of the parties, the perusal of the record itself made the court worry about the way the protest, being undertaken by the students, is handled by the university,” Justice Sharma remarked.
The judge said he was not looking at the reason for the protest at the moment and added that according to the documents submitted by the students, it was a “peaceful protest”.
While the students’ counsel submitted that the students “obtained the requisite permission” to hold the protest, the JMI’s counsel countered that “no permission was taken” and that the “university’s property was damaged”.
Sonakshi, one of the suspended students, said that with the court order, all suspended students will be able to attend classes from Wednesday.
Published – March 05, 2025 01:28 am IST
