NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has granted interim relief to nine Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students, who were suspended by the administration amid allegations of clashes and sexual harassment at an October 22 freshers’ party.
Justice Purushendra Kumar Kaurav, on October 29, observed that the university’s decision to rusticate these students was issued without allowing them a chance to present their side, breaching the “audi alteram partem” principle.
“The Court has perused the impugned order, which nowhere indicates even remote adherence of the principle of audi alteram partem,” Justice Kaurav noted. In response, the Court directed that the students should not be forced to vacate their hostel rooms until a follow-up hearing on November 8.
The principle of audi alteram partem is a fundamental legal principle that states that no one should be judged without a fair hearing. The Latin phrase audi alteram partem translates to “listen to the other side” or “let the other side be heard as well”
The suspended students had been barred from campus and faced a two-semester suspension, as per orders issued by the Chief Proctor on October 25.
The nine students in their petition had argued that they were unaware of the specific charges against them and learned about allegations of violence and sexual harassment only after the decision.
This controversy stems from a joint complaint by 47 female students, accusing certain people of making sexist remarks and inciting a scuffle at the JNU Convention Centre.
The freshers’ event, hosted by the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, took a hostile turn after tensions reportedly flared over recent student elections.