A group of Jamia Millia Islamia students, who have formed a joint action committee to demand students’ union elections at the varsity, have submitted to the university officials a legal opinion that says Jamia is “free to hold elections and it in no way count under any kind of contempt of court.”
Stating that the Dean of Students’ Welfare had accepted their proposal, the students claimed he will get back to them within a week.
The students had gone on a 10-day hunger strike last October demanding union elections in Jamia.
The protest was called off after the Vice-Chancellor assured the students that elections will be announced if they produce a legal opinion from their lawyer stating that there was no contempt of court in the legal case that is currently pending in the High Court.
The students said they had submitted to the Dean of Students’ Welfare a legal opinion from a senior Supreme Court advocate which states that “Jamia is free to hold elections and it in no way counted under any kind of contempt of court. Jamia always has the option to file an application for direction informing the High Court of its schedule for the elections and plans put in place therein”.
The university had responded to the students’ demands for announcement of dates for the students’ union elections saying the matter was sub judice due to a group of students taking the issue to court in 2012 and until those students withdraw the case the university’s hands were tied.
