Delhi High Court tells JNUSU to let staff work

Protesting students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) were on Friday directed by the Delhi High Court not to obstruct the Vice-Chancellor and other staff from entering or leaving the Administrative Block to carry out their work. Justice VK Rao passed the interim order after the varsity filed a plea stating that the protest near the Administrative Block was hampering its day-to-day functioning, including the disbursal of salaries in connection with the Seventh Pay Commission. On Thursday, several students had blocked the administration block demanding a meeting with Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar on the issue of compulsory attendance and stopped the rectors from leaving the building. The court said the interim order would be applicable for the next three days from Saturday and that the university was at liberty to request police assistance to maintain law and order in the campus. The court, however, made it clear that the order "should not preclude" the students from peacefully protesting at the Sabarmati Lawn inside the campus. The single-judge bench also issued notice to the JNU Students Union (JNUSU) and sought its response by February 20 on the university's plea claiming that the protesters were violating the High Court's order asking them not to protest within 100 metres of the Administrative Block. JNU mentioned the matter in front of the Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal who had assigned the case to this court. The varsity authority has claimed that the ongoing protests were in violation of the High Court's August 9, 2017 direction asking the students not to stage any agitation within 100 metres of the Administrative Block, which houses several offices including that of the Vice-Chancellor. It had said that JNUSU leaders should be asked not to protest within 200 metres of the block and the academic complexes as per the academic rules and regulations.

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