The Delhi Court on Thursday set aside a Delhi
University order debarring an NSUI leader for a year for his alleged
involvement in the screening on the campus a controversial BBC documentary on
the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav said action
against Lokesh Chugh, a PhD scholar and NSUI national secretary, was taken in
violation of the principle of natural justice, and "reasons are necessary
to be assigned by the administrative authority" in the order.
"The court is unable to sustain the impugned
order dated March 10, 2023. Impugned order is set aside. The admission of the
petitioner is restored. Necessary consequences will follow," the judge
ordered.
Attorney General R Venkataramani represented the
university and opposed the petition.
The court clarified that since the debarment order
was being set aside for a lack of adherence to the principle of natural
justice, the university is free to taken action against the petitioner in
accordance with law.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal appeared for the
petitioner.
The petitioner had approached the high court earlier
this month challenging the university's decision to debar him for a year for
his alleged involvement in the screening of the documentary -- 'India: The Modi
Question' -- related to the 2002 Gujarat riots. The documentary was screened
earlier this year.
The DU registrar had issued Chugh a memorandum in
March under which he was not allowed to take part in "any university or
college or departmental examination for one year".
"Petitioner had participated in the 'showing'
of the banned BBC Documentary on 27.01.2023 at 4:00 PM in front of Gate No. 4,
Faculty of Arts, University of Delhi... which this amounts to an act of
indiscipline," the reply filed by Delhi University before the high court
had said.
The Centre had issued directions for blocking
multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the BBC documentary,
which was described by the Ministry of External Affairs as a "propaganda
piece" that lacks objectivity and reflects a colonial mindset.