A week after the management of the School of Excellence in Law, Perungudi, declared the institution closed indefinitely in view of student protests, the authorities on Friday agreed to reopen the institution after the intervention of the Madras High Court.
Counsel representing the authorities submitted before the First Bench of Chief Justice S.K. Kaul and Justice R. Mahadevan that the closure order dated August 8 stands withdrawn in view of the assurance provided by senior counsel on behalf of the students that there would be no further boycott of classes or disciplinary issues.
The issue pertains to protests staged by students of the 5-year integrated Honours law degree course at the School of Excellence in Law of the Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University against the institution seeking basic facilities, including a boys’ hostel on the premises and to recruit eligible teachers.
In view of the protests, the college administration issued a circular on August 8 declaring that the institution was being closed indefinitely. Assailing the decision, advocate P. Vimalraj approached the High Court seeking to quash the order and direct the authorities to immediately take steps to improve the facilities.
When the plea came up for hearing, the Bench directed the Vice-Chancellor, the Registrar, and the Director of the Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University to inspect the campus and submit a report about the deficiencies and on how those would be rectified.
The court also directed the authorities to ensure proper maintenance of the building, bathrooms, electricity fittings and water supply. The Bench then posted the PIL petition to September 9 for further hearing.
Students had staged protests seeking basic facilities such as boys’ hostel and eligible teachers
