After SC stay, HC says won't proceed with JNU TICC matter for now

The Delhi High Court was today informed that the Supreme Court has stayed its order forming a temporary Internal Complaint Committee (TICC) in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to proceed with 31 pending complaints of sexual harassment.

The high court's bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and Chander Shekhar said it would not be appropriate for it to proceed with the plea challenging the formation of Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) by JNU administration, as of now, as the matter is pending before the apex court.

"We cannot proceed till the Supreme Court order is there. We should not proceed. As far as final hearing in the matter is concerned, we will not proceed today," the bench said.

The bench was hearing a plea filed by a group of teachers and students of JNU opposing the office order disbanding the Gender Sensitisation Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) committee and replacing it by ICC.

They had also opposed a registrar's circular putting on hold the election of students' representatives to the dissolved body.

The JNU has moved the top court challenging the two orders of the high court passed on December 19 last year and February 22 this year.

The Supreme Court had on April 23, issued notice on the plea and said that "until further orders, there shall be stay of operation of the impugned order/s passed by the High Court. However, we make it clear that the ICC may proceed with all complaints in the meanwhile."