In response to the plea moved by NSUI's National Secretary Lokesh Chugh before the Delhi High Court, the Delhi University (DU) said the screening of a banned BBC documentary on the campus amounts to ‘gross indiscipline’.
Chugh, a PhD scholar, and student leader had filed a petition before the Delhi High Court challenging his debarment for one year by the university.
The university maintained 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, intending to disrupt the university system's academic functioning.
The affidavit submitted by the DU in its defence added, “The Committee, after watching the videos, found that the mastermind of the agitation was the petitioner.”
What is the matter?
The university 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.
However, in his plea, Chugh said that he was neither present at the protest site, nor had he facilitated or participated in the screening in any manner. It also added that the petitioner was neither detained nor charged with incitement or violence by the police.
What has happened so far?
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. The university issued a notice to the plea on Thursday, April 13.
During the hearing into the case on Tuesday, April 18, Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav said that University's debarment order doesn't reflect any application of mind and asked the university to submit an affidavit for the same.
Meanwhile, petitioner Lokesh Chugh has asked the court for urgency into the matter stating that the last date for submission of PhD thesis is April 30.
