The Hindu : New Delhi News : JNU rallies behind Dalit student

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Sunday, Dec 02, 2007
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JNU rallies behind Dalit student

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Rallying behind Dalit student Amritashva Kamal, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union on Saturday demanded that the Delhi High Court order directing the institution to offer him a seat and pay him Rs.25,000 as costs of the proceedings be implemented with immediate effect.

While JNUSU president Sandeep Singh issued a press statement on the issue, School of Social Sciences convenor Divya Cherian addressed a press conference where Amritashva and his lawyer were also present.

HC rebukes JNU

This past week the High Court had rebuked JNU for not following the principles of natural justice and arbitrarily debarring Amritashva from seeking admission.

The Court further instructed the University to admit him in the next academic sessions for an M. Phil degree.

“The JNU campus had been declared out of bounds for Amritashva and he was denied admission because he had gone to the defence of his brother when the latter was harassed and attacked on casteist lines by some people. Though action was taken against the perpetrators who were found guilty by an enquiry committee, he too was penalised as a ‘balancing act’ despite the fact that he was not indicted by the enquiry,” the JNUSU president added.

Biased board

At the press conference, Divya demanded a reconstitution of the “biased” JNU Proctorial Board.

“The JNU Students’ Union believes that the judgment has placed serious questions on the integrity and neutrality of the Proctor’s Office. The fact that such an unfair treatment was given to a Dalit student without any documentary or material evidence has created serious doubts in the minds of the student community,” she charged.

Divya claimed that the Equal Opportunity Office that was set up at JNU a few years ago needs to be given more teeth. “The Office was set up to register cases of caste discrimination and also sensitise students about it. We want the office to be strengthened, democratised and have punitive powers. There should be students’ representation in the Office,” she demanded.

SFI welcomes court order

The JNU unit of the Students’ Federation of India has welcomed the Delhi High Court’s decision upbraiding the JNU administration for denying admission to a Dalit student in the M. Phil programme at JNU’s School of International Studies.

“The SFI congratulates Amritashva for his victory in his struggle against the gross injustice that was done to him. We demand that the JNU administration comply with the court order in letter and in spirit. The SFI had protested against this biased decision at that time as well,” said SFI-JNU unit president Roshan Kishore.

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