JOIN USThe Supreme Court on Thursday came to the rescue of eight students from Banaras Hindu University by revoking their suspension. The court also stayed the criminal proceedings initiated against them for agitating to keep the varsity library open 24/7.
The top court, however, subjected the students to oral examination by asking questions from their study syllabus. It provided them relief after they expressed remorse over their conduct.
After asking the lawyers not to argue the case, a three-judge bench presided over by Justice Dipak Misra asked the students questions like, “What are the ingredients of ‘State’ and who propounded the principle of 'Advaitwad'.” The queries also ranged from philosophies of Immanuel Kant, Descartes and Nietzsche.
As the students faltered on some basic questions from their subjects of study and answered several others, the bench asked, “What did you do to get suspended?”
They replied that they were merely demanding keeping the cyber library open 24x7 as promised in the University prospectus and went on a hunger strike for it. They were arrested and sent to jail on lodging a criminal case after their suspension in May last year, they said.
On inquiry, University Registrar Neeraj Tripathi, who was present in the court, said the library was open from 8 am to 11 pm. As the varsity had a huge, porous campus, it was not feasible to keep it open 24x7.
The bench told the students, “Every University has a discipline. If it is not possible to keep the library open 24 hours, you have to follow the rules and regulations.”