The Delhi High Court on Friday granted relief to JNU students permitting them to enroll in the next semester as per the old hostel guidebook within one week.

“So far as the remaining students are concerned, they need to register within one week as per the old manual. No late fees will be charged from them too,” said a single-judge bench of Justice Rajiv Shakdar.

The bench listed the matter for next hearing to Feb 28.

Justice Shakdar gave order on the plea filed by JNUSU members including President Aishe Ghosh seeking directions to JNU constraining it from taking any steps which would give effect to the draft hostel manual.

“That the present writ petition is being filed by the members of Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union (“JNUSU”) challenging the Inter Hostel Administration (“IHA”) decision dated 28.10.2019 amending the Hostel Manual, the Minutes of the 283rd Meeting of the Executive Council (“EC”) dated 13.11.2019 ratifying the IHA decision and the High level committee dated 25.11.2019 making further amendments to the Hostel Manual. That the aforesaid decisions are malafide, arbitrary and illegal and adversely affect the student community of the Respondent University bringing far reaching changes to the provisions of the Hostel Manual. That amendments to the Hostel Manual include an increase in hostel fee, affect rights of those in reserved categories vis a vis allocation of hostel rooms and also reduce the representation of the JNUSU in the IHA amongst several other changes. That the minutes of the impugned IHA Meeting also stated that mess services, sanitation services, room charges, amongst others category of charges will be increased by 10% every Academic Year, i.e., from the Monsoon Semester,” the plea said.

The plea further said: “Therefore, the malafide, illegal and arbitrary decision making of the Respondent University’s administration is seeking to undermine the JNU Act, 1966 and the legal mandate of the Hostel Manual adversely affecting the rights of the students of the Respondent University. That it is prayed that the decisions of the IHA dated 28.10.2019, 283rd Meeting of the EC dated 13.11.2019 and HLC dated 25.11.2019 may be set aside and a fresh IHA as per law may be reconvened.”

—India Legal Bureau