HC slaps fine on JNUSU office bearers for disobeying orders on holding protests

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday slapped a fine on JNU students' union office-bearers for "wilful disobedience" of judicial orders not to hold protests within 100 meters of the varsity's administrative block. Justice V K Rao said the students have attempted to justify their conduct and have not expressed regret or remorse for violating the court's August 9, 2017 direction not to obstruct access to the administrative block and hold protests 100 meters away on the Sabarmati lawns inside the varsity campus.

The court said the manner in which its order was being interpreted by the students, it appeared to be "an attempt to wriggle out of their contemptuous acts". "It is not a case of non-compliance of order by mistake, inadvertence or by misunderstanding of meaning and purport of the order. This I say so, as the respondents (student union members) herein, are pursuing post-graduate studies. They are educated persons, surely knowing the purport or intent of the order passed by this court on August 9, 2017, which is clear and explicit," the court stated.

"The interpretation sought to be given to the order by the counsel for the respondents is only an attempt to wriggle out of their contemptuous acts. So it must be held, on the basis of the photographs and the admissions made by the respondents, that they did congregate/held protests in the administrative block, which was in willful violation of the order dated August 9, 2017," the court said.

The ruling imposing a fine of Rs 2,000 on each one of the student leaders came on a plea by the Jawaharlal Nehru University seeking contempt action against them for violating the high court's August order not to obstruct access to the administrative block. The court disposed of JNU's plea, while directing that the fine amount should be deposited within two weeks with the Registrar General of the high court.