HC tells JNU to let suspended students write examination

Delhi High Court orders JNU to allow suspended students accused of sexual harassment to write exams.

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to allow nine students, suspended on charges of sexual harassment, to write their exams that began on Wednesday.

On May 5, the university administration suspended the students for two semesters and barred them from entering the campus after women students’ complained to the Internal Complaints Committee.

“The respondent university is directed to allow the petitioners to take their examination, till the next date of hearing on May 28 and no coercive action shall be taken against them [students] to vacate their hostels,” the court ordered on Tuesday.

Advocate Kumar Piyush Pushkar, representing the students, said that before the order, an enquiry was conducted by the university, but the petitioners were not allowed to cross-examine witnesses.

Forty-seven women students had filed a complaint alleging sexual harassment and violence during the freshers’ party of the Centre for the Study of Social Systems that was held on October 22, 2024, followed by an internal enquiry.

The nine students, who were barred from entering the campus and appearing for examinations, approached the court seeking to set aside the university’s decision.

The petitioners claimed they were informed of their suspension without any proper inquiry being conducted or any disciplinary committee constituted to look into the matter. They said the action was arbitrary and a violation of established norms.