Public hearing held in JNU over January 9 incident

Left-backed student bodies, teachers, jurists and lawyers on Tuesday held a ‘public hearing’ in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to discuss upon the investigation process over the anti-India sloganeering during an event on February 9 in the campus.

A panel including former Chief Justice of the Delhi high court A P Shah, Warisha Farasat, a Delhi-based lawyer, and Mrinal Satish, Associate Professor at National Law University Delhi, deliberated over the inquiry process and its findings here in the university.

After deliberation, the panel presented its views on several important issues, ranging from the Internal Investigation Committee formed to investigate into the matter, the state action against the students and the sedition charges. 

“The high-level internal investigation committee failed to conceive the very idea of formation of any 

committee as it had only three-member and all were allegedly aligned with one or the other politically-motivated group. How can the committee without hearing the accused reach to the final report?” said the panel.

In the perspective note, Warisha Farasat said: “The legitimacy of the investigation committee seems under doubt as it was not accepted by even the University teachers.”

“Did the conduct of the committee and steps taken during the inquiry and after submission of its report uphold the principle of natural justice? Does the panel provide any legitimate basis for taking disciplinary action against students?” a professor questioned at the hearing.

The five-member panel found that all the students named in the list of the committee were pronounced guilty of “violating university norms and discipline rules” and that show-cause notices were issued to 21 students on March 14 asking them to explain why disciplinary action should not be initiated against them.