Students should not indulge in activities that can bring a bad name to educational institutions - Allahabad HC

Case: Mohd. Aman Khan v UOI & Ors

Bench: A bench of Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice JJ Munir 

The Allahabad High Court recently observed that students should not indulge in activities that can bring a bad name to educational institutions.

 The bench made the observation with regard to the 2019 Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest. 

The Court was hearing a batch of pleas regarding concerns about the Anti-CAA protest that took place around the AMU campus and the police violence that followed. A similar incident took place at the Jamia campus on the same day.

Petitioners in the instant case alleged that the police had entered the AMU campus for no valid reason, used lathi charges, tear gas, rubber bullets, and pellets, and even entered students' guest houses. They also expressed concern that CCTV footage evidencing the incident would be altered to remove all evidence of the violence.

The HC, in January 2020, ordered the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to investigate the incident. Subsequently, the NHRC pursuant to a report recommended compensation to certain students and taking suitable action against errant police officers, among others.

The State filed a counter affidavit on September 7, 2022, stating that most of the recommendations had been implemented. AMU and the Central government were responsible for implementing the remaining two recommendations.

According to the Court, the paramilitary forces are well equipped to deal with such situations and are regularly updated in order to comply with the recommendations to the Director General of CRPF.

To ensure that student fraternities are not influenced by outsiders, the bench advised MAU to establish a mechanism for better communication with them.

The bench disposed of the matter, noting that nothing now survives in the petition.