Delhi University Defends Student's Debarment Over Screening Banned BBC Series

The Delhi University on Monday filed a response before Delhi High Court on a plea moved by a Congress student wing leader and said that the screening of a banned BBC documentary on the campus amounts to gross indiscipline.

NSUI's National Secretary Lokesh Chugh has challenged his debarment for one year by the Delhi University (DU).

After noting that the responses of the respondent and the petitioner are not on record, the matter was listed on Wednesday before the bench of Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav.

It is submitted that the petitioner, who was seen in video footage available with the DU, was actively involved in the attempt to screen the BBC documentary on the university campus, with the intention of disrupting the academic functioning of the university system. Even otherwise, such an act on the part of the petitioner amounts to gross indiscipline in general, the University said.

Its affidavit stated, "The Committee, after watching the videos, found that the mastermind of the agitation was the petitioner."

Earlier, the High Court had asked Delhi University to file its response within three days on a plea moved by the NSUI leader challenging his debarment for one year by the University.

On April 13, the Delhi High Court issued a notice on the plea.

During the hearing on April 18, Justice Kaurav said that University's order doesn't reflect any application of mind and that it must reflect the reasoning.

The court said that his right would be protected once the petitioner is before the court.

It was submitted that on January 27, there was a protest by a few students at the DU's Faculty of Arts (main campus), during which the allegedly banned BBC documentary, "India: the Modi Question", was screened for public viewing.

The petitioner said he was not present at the protest site, nor had he facilitated or participated in the screening in any manner. It stated Mr Chugh was neither detained nor charged with any form of incitement or violence or disturbance of the peace by the police.

It was submitted that he was issued a show-cause notice by the Proctor over why action should not be taken against him for his alleged involvement. He filed a reply to the notice on February 20, the petition stated.

On March 10, the Registrar debarred him from taking any university, college, or departmental exams for a year, it said.

It is also submitted that neither the Disciplinary Committee nor the Memorandum has given any finding as to what indiscipline is attributed to the petitioner. It is also said the order of debarment is against the natural principle of justice as the petitioner was not allowed to explain his conduct.

Holding him guilty of indiscipline is based on biased premises as other student participants have been asked to file a written apology, the petition said.