HC quashes JNU fine order against Kanhaiya
New Delhi, July 20 : The Delhi High Court on Friday set aside the Jawaharlal Nehru University's (JNU) July 4 order slapping a fine of Rs 10,000 on former JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar, holding that the penal action suffered from procedural impropriety, illegality and irrationality.
The former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union leader was held guilty of violating the disciplinary norms and asked to pay the fine by the university in connection with a 2016 incident on the campus wherein anti-India slogans were raised.
Justice Siddharth Mridul observed that although the order imposes a fine, the action constitutes disciplinary action entailing serious civil consequences for the petitioner.
"Therefore, on a prima facie view, the office order of July 4 is unsustainable on innumerable counts," the court said.
"At this stage, the JNU counsel wants to recall the office order, with the liberty to comply with directions of this court passed in earlier round of proceedings between the parties, in accordance with law, culminating in a reasoned order."
"In view of JNU counsel's statement, the office order is set aside. The matter is now remanded to the appellate authority for a de novo conduct of proceedings," the court said.
Kanhaiya Kumar's counsel Rebecca John told the court that he neither did organise the said event nor shout any objectionable slogans.
She sought the quashing of the JNU order that held Kumar guilty under Clause 3 of Rules of Discipline and Proper Conduct of Students of JNU.
Clause 3 deals with any act which may be considered by the Vice Chancellor or any other competent authority to be an act of violation of discipline and conduct.
The order was issued based on a report by a high-level enquiry committee set up on February 11, 2016.
Kumar said in his plea that there were serious lapses in observing the principles of natural justice and there was violation of the Delhi High Court directions on October 12, 2017.
The former JNUSU leader said that no written notice was given to him and he was not allowed to crossexamine two witnesses who deposed against him.
An enquiry found student-activist Umar Khalid, along with Kumar and Anirban Bhattacharya, guilty and recommended rustication of Khalid, apart from imposing financial penalty on 13 other students for violation of disciplinary norms.
However, the court did not pass any order on Khalid and Bhattacharya's plea, but directed the JNU not to take any coercive steps against them till further orders.
The three were accused -- though none yet charge-sheeted -- of raising slogans against the integrity of India during a poetry-reading gathering of students at the Sabarmati Dhaba on the campus on February 9, 2016.
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Kerala polls: Vijayan, Revanth Reddy trade barbs as campaigning ends
Kannur (Kerala)/Hyderabad (PTI): A war of words between Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his Telangana counterpart Revanth Reddy turned acrimonious on Tuesday, the final day of campaigning for the April 9 Assembly polls.
The two leaders sparred on the virtual world as well, exchanging letters on their respective social media handles.
The escalation came after Vijayan, responding to Reddy's earlier remarks, used Malayalam expressions considered nearly derogatory, signalling strong disapproval of the Telangana CM's comments.
Reddy, campaigning for the UDF in Kollam district, hit back swiftly, likening Vijayan to PM Narendra Modi.
He said he would take any personal remarks from the senior leader as a "blessing" considering his age, but objected to what he described as insults directed at the people of Kerala. "But you cannot abuse our Kerala people," he said, hours before campaigning drew to a close.
The controversy began after Reddy had said "nee po mone Vijaya" by invoking a famous dialogue from superstar Mohanlal's blockbuster movie "Narasimham" while referring to Vijayan on April 1 during a UDF campaign roadshow in Nemom constituency.
Earlier in the day, while reacting to Reddy's earlier remarks, Vijayan said a CM must maintain basic standards of conduct and questioned whether such dignity was being followed.
In his response to a query, Vijayan used Malayalam words that were seen as nearly derogatory for Reddy, signalling his strong disapproval of the remarks made against him.
Sharply reacting to the CM's objectionable remarks, Congress leader V D Satheesan said Vijayan appeared to have "completely lost composure" and warned that any further deterioration in his conduct would have brought "greater embarrassment" to the state.
After the critical remarks during the press meet, Vijayan wrote on his 'X' handle that political differences are natural, but expressing strong disagreement through personally insulting remarks is an attitude that he rejects. Reddy's statements lacked factual backing.
In a detailed letter attached with the 'X' post addressing the Telangana CM, Vijayan said the experience of the people of Kerala was "vastly different" from what Reddy had portrayed.
He clarified that he did not intend to engage in a debate over the performance of the Telangana government, stating that it was for the people of Telangana and political parties there to assess their government.
Referring to Reddy's comments, Vijayan said the LDF government has been consistently publishing progress reports over the past 10 years on the implementation of its election promises, underlining its commitment to continuous accountability.
He also rejected the allegation of "selective appropriation" of Kerala's achievements, including its top ranking in the NITI Aayog SDG Index, and said such criticism was misplaced.
Dismissing claims of industrial stagnation, Vijayan said Kerala has made significant strides in the startup ecosystem and ease of doing business, adding that these achievements have been widely acknowledged.
He also alleged that key infrastructure projects in Kerala, including the Kochi Metro and Vizhinjam Port, faced delays under previous Congress-led governments at the Centre, while long-pending promises such as a railway coach factory remained unfulfilled.
Vijayan further accused the BJP-led Union government of discrimination against Kerala and said the state has been actively resisting what he described as "anti-federal and undemocratic" policies through legal and political means, including approaching the Supreme Court.
He also rejected Reddy's criticism that the LDF was not vocal enough against the BJP, asserting that Kerala has been at the forefront of defending constitutional values.
Concluding his letter, Vijayan reiterated the state government's commitment to building a "Nava Keralam" and moving forward as a model for others.
On April 1, while addressing party workers in Nemom, Reddy used the popular Malayalam film dialogue "Nee po mone Vijaya". He adapted it to target Vijayan, saying "Nee po mone Vijaya".
Reddy went further, claiming that Vijayan's "time is over" and that his "expiry date has passed".
Responding to these allegations, Vijayan had said that the Telangana CM was "misinformed" and accused him of "ridiculing" Kerala and its people while trying to hide the weaknesses of his own state.
In a later response, Reddy defended his remarks and said that many of the statistics cited by Vijayan were taken from the NITI Aayog SDG Index 2023 24, arguing that the data was already outdated.
Reddy in his letter questioned the veteran Marxist leader's claim that Kerala would become the first state to completely eradicate extreme poverty by late 2025 had been achieved. Further, he chooses to conduct himself respectfully and gracefully in his criticism of the Kerala government's performance, whereas Vijayan opted to use language of poor taste.
Reddy, in his letter on X, said that while he respects NITI Aayog's corruption rankings, he wants to know why the infamous gold smuggling case, linked to individuals connected to the CMO, remains unresolved, and why 4.5 kg of gold allegedly misappropriated from the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple has not been accounted for.
