HC allows JNUSU to attend welfare meetings

New Delhi, March 20 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted interim relief to the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) to attend important welfare meetings, staying a varsity's notification till July 17.

The court was hearing a plea filed by JNUSU President N. Sai Balaji and other office-bearers challenging the varsity's decision restraining them from participating in the statutory meetings.

"The matter be now listed on July 17. Till then, the minutes dated February 15, related to the issue of circular to all deans of schools/chairperson of centres/special centres restraining the students to attend meetings of various bodies at school/centre level shall be kept in abeyance as no prejudice shall be caused in attending such welfare meetings by students' union," Justice Yogesh Khanna said.

Balaji, in his plea said that the university had barred them from performing their duties for not providing separate bills of their individual poll expenses.

He also said that individual bills were never asked for prior to the 2018 elections and under the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations, only an audited statement of accounts was required and not individual bills.

The university said that an advance notice had been sent to the office bearers to submit their audited accounts within two weeks from the date of declaration of the results and the dean would not notify the final results if those were not submitted.

The petitioners won the elections conducted on September 14, 2018. They have sought the court's direction to declare them as elected office-bearers of the university.

The court has listed the matter to the Grievance Redressal Cell and sought a report within two months.