High Court extends relief to JNU students till November 24

The Delhi High Court on Monday extended the relief granted to the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students against the university's decision holding them guilty of indiscipline in the controversial February 9 event.

Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva scheduled the hearing on pleas filed by the JNU students -- Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and others -- for November 24 due to paucity of court's time on Monday.

"It (hearing) will take some time. I have to go through the charges against all the students. I will have to look at the videos," said the court.

The JNU students had challenged the findings of the university's appellate authority, holding them guilty of indiscipline in connection with the controversial February 9 event on campus in which "anti-India" slogans were allegedly raised.

The university's appellate authority also imposed a fine on Kanhaiya and asked him to file an undertaking that he would not participate in or be present at any illegal activity taking place on the JNU campus.

The university had slapped the students with a number of punishments, including rustication, hostel debarment and financial penalty, on the basis of a probe by a high level inquiry committee.

While the appellate authority had reduced the fine of some students, for Khalid and Bhattacharya the punishment remained the same.

Khalid was rusticated for one semester, while Bhattacharya was barred from the university premises for five years.

--IANS

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