Chandigarh: Panjab University moves court, seeks permanent ban on stirs outside V-C office

Panjab University (PU) is seeking a permanent injunction on students holding protests on its campus as the ongoing protest regarding PU Senate election has continued for over a month now. The move comes after students had blocked PU’s gate number 2 on Tuesday for around five hours demanding the varsity to repeal an FIR registered against 14 protesters.

As per a petition by PU registrar, YP Verma, filed in a local court, six defendants have been named in the case, including Sath party, Students Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU), Students Organisation of India (SOI), All India Students Association (AISA), Ambedkar Students Association and PSU Lalkaar.

The varsity is asking for a permanent injunction against the defendants from holding any demonstration or raising slogans within 500 metres from the boundary walls of the vice-chancellor’s (V-C’s) office, the administrative block and the residences of officials, including V-C and registrar. PU is also against blocking roads, obstructing people from visiting V-C office and causing damage to public property.

The varsity has also asked court to permanently restrain student bodies from pasting stickers, banners, posters or erecting any tents on the campus, except for the protest site earmarked near the PU Health Centre. The university has maintained that all protests must only be carried out at the designated site.

The court had earlier listed the matter on Monday. The court had observed that on reading the contents of the plaint that it is appropriate to hear the opposite party before granting any stay in favour of the plaintiff which in this case is the university. Notice of the present suit as well as the application was served on Thursday.

As per PU’s counsel, Karanveer Ahuja and Anita Ahuja, all six defendants were not able to attend the court on Thursday. Only a couple of them were present and the court has directed them to file their replies by the next date of hearing, December 2.

Karanveer Ahuja added, “Even in the previous injunction filed against Students For Society (SFS), an interim injunction has been granted against the union and the matter is next due for hearing on February 14 next year. After the court’s observations in the previous case, we have also argued that the students are in contempt of the previous order. Students are free to hold protests at the designated spot in the university but shouldn’t indulge in violence and cause nuisance to others.”

In a previous case against SFS, in the order issued on August 21 the court of civil judge Sumit Kalon had directed that the defendants are restrained from blocking any passage or road to any office or residence at the plaintiff university campus. The order further said that the defendants cannot indulge in any kind of violence, physical assault, intimidation, threat or physical assault and they shall commit no such act which may amount to offence. The court had also observed that PU should install barricades at the edges of road in order to segregate the footpath for ensuring peaceful protests, at least at sensitive zones.