[AMU Anti-CAA Protest] Students should not indulge in activities that bring bad name to great educational institutions: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court recently observed that students should not indulge in any activities that can bring a bad name to great educational institutions. [Mohd. Aman Khan v UOI & Ors]..A bench of Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice JJ Munir made the observation with regard to the 2019 Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest"Equal responsibility is also of the students that they do not fall in the trap of unscrupulous persons operating outside the University to disturb peace there. Educational Institutions have to maintain discipline. The students take admissions in Universities or any educational Institution for the purpose of education and not indulge in these kind of activities, which brings bad name to the great educational Institutions," the Court said.The Court was considering a batch of pleas which raised concerns regarding the Anti-CAA protest that took place in and around the AMU campus and the police violence that followed. Similar violence also took place at the Jamia campus on the same day..The petitioners in the instant alleged that the police had entered the AMU campus for no just or valid reasons and had resorted to lathi charge, apart from using tear gas, rubber bullets, and pellets, and had even entered the guest houses where students were hiding.They also raised apprehension that the CCTV footage evincing the incident would be tampered with to week out all evidence of the AMU violence.In January 2020, the High Court ordered the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to probe the incident.Subsequently the NHRC submitted a report in which it recommended compensating certain students and taking suitable action against errant police officers, among others..In a supplementary counter affidavit dated September 7, 2022 filed for the State, it was submitted that most of the recommendations have been complied with. The remaining two recommendations were for the Cenral government and AMU to implement..Regarding the recommendations to the Director General, CRPF for RAF to show utmost professionalism in dealing with such situations, the Court said, "we have no doubt that our paramilitary forces are well equipped to deal with such situations and are being regularly updated."Regarding the direction to MAU to establish mechanism for better communication with the student fraternity so that they are not influenced by outsiders, the bench said that communication channels should always remain open.Noting that nothing now survives in the petitions, the Court disposed of the same..Advocates Mohd. Danish, Maha Prasad and Aditya Singh Parihar represented petitioner.Government counsels Alok Ranjan Mishra, A.K. Goyal, Senior Advocate Neeraj Tripathi and advocate Shashank Shekhar Singh represented respondents..[Read Order]