Two JNU students evicted from hostel

After the Delhi High Court gave interim relief to the protesting Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students directing the university to register students for the new academic session as per the old hostel manual last week, the university administration has begun evicting students who have been at the forefront in fighting against hostel fee hike.

While belongings of a PhD scholar Gautam Sharma were taken out of his room on an instruction from the university administration, Manikant Patel, an MA first-year student, was evicted from Mahi-Mandavi hostel and his room was sealed on Monday.

"Unable to face the humiliation of defeat for illegally imposing hiked hostel fee on students from the High Court, the JNU vice-chancellor through chief proctor and senior warden of Mahi-Mandavi hostel has reached a new low," former JNU students union president Sai N Balaji said.

The university had initiated a proctorial inquiry against the two students along with several others during the hostel fee hike protests on the campus last month. They are alleged to have been part of a group of students who gheraoed vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar and other officials of the university on December 14 last year and heckled them.

The proctorial inquiry against the students is yet to conclude.

“I was not there when the alleged incident took place. There is no evidence against me. But they have evicted me from the hostel room,” Gautam told DH.

JNU students' union office bearers were learned to have approached the university administration after the two students were evicted from their hostel rooms, requesting for allowing them to stay in the hostel.

"In India, the question of legality, or otherwise, of executive decision and/or action is decided by the judiciary," senior warden of the Mahi Mandavi hostel Saumyajit Ray stated in a letter to Gautam and Manikant, asking them to remain present during their eviction from the hostel.

Delhi High Court on Friday last week asked the university to allow students, who have not yet registered for the winter session, to do so under the old hostel manual without any late fine, observing that the burden of paying the salary of the contractual employees in the government-run educational institutions cannot be put on students.

"You (university) need to find the money. Maybe the Ministry of Human Resource Development can find the funds. The government has to fund public education. It cannot get out of it," Justice Rajiv Shakdher had noted while passing an interim order hearing on the petition filed by the JNU students union against the hostel fee hike and changes made in the hostel manual.

The Court had also issued notices to the JNU, the HRD ministry and the UGC, seeking their response in the matter.