SC expresses concern over student politics breeding criminals

Taking a dim view of the violence on university and college campuses by members of students wings of political parties, the Supreme Court Friday said that it was leading to criminalisation of politics.

"These are the people who bring criminals to politics," observed the bench of Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice Shiva Kirti Singh as the court gave interim bail to Navneet Kaushal, leader of RSS student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) so that he could appear in the second semester examination of his masters programme in Himachal University in Shimla.

Kaushal has challenged the Himachal Pradesh High Court order of May 28, dismissing his plea for bail.

On June 13, 2014, a bench of Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar and Justice C. Nagappan, in another matter relating to another ABVP leader in the same varsity, Bhuvaneshwar, had taken exception to campus violence and expressed concern over the growing criminality in student politics.

"We have been noticing this trend of criminality growing in colleges and educational institutions. The student unions have a role in this," Justice Khehar observed.

The interim bail granted Friday would permit Kaushal to appear for his examination starting June 23 and ending July 4, after which he would have to surrender.

Kaushal is in custody since October 23, 2013, after he was accused of hitting a fellow student leader belonging to the Communist Party of India-Marxist's student wing, the Students Federation of India.

The victims Vivek Rana, Gopal, Hoshiyar were attacked by a number of people and suffered grievous injuries including on the head after being hit by an iron rod and other weapons.

In the instant case, besides Kaushal, three more assailants were arrested. Out of them, Amit Kumar was granted bail by the Himachal High Court and two others - Chandrakant and Vikas Kumar - were granted bail by the apex court May 9.