Notice to JNU on rusticated Ph.D student's plea

The Delhi High Court Friday issued notice to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on a plea filed by a Ph.D. student seeking quashing of the order by which she was rusticated for three years for allegedly misbehaving with the hostel warden.

Justice Manmohan sought the response from JNU administration and the chief proctor by Nov 19.

Reetu Meena moved the high court against rustication order issued to her May 16 this year and Nov 4 last year's 'out of bounds' order by which the entire JNU campus was declared barred to her.

Filing the plea, Meena said she had brilliant academic records throughout her career and has clean antecedents in all the institutes she has studied. She claimed she was rusticated for three years without any opportunity to reply on charges.

Meena took admission in 2011 in M.Tech in JNU and was alloted a hostel room and in September 2012 she was elected as a mess secretary of Lohit Hostel.

On June 20 last year, she had an argument with hostel warden Harish Naraiandas over some altercation happened between two other students. In October last year, she was evicted from the hostel after which she alleged that on Nov 1, Naraiandas physically assaulted her and she lodged an FIR the same day.

The warden also lodged a counter FIR alleging that Meena had come to his home and slapped him.