Calcutta High Court Tells Jadavpur University to Stay Away from Politics in Campus Events

The Calcutta High Court demanded Jadavpur University (JU) to eliminate political involvement from all its campus-based programs. Educational institutions must concentrate on delivering education and sharing knowledge instead of transforming into venues for political activities, according to the court.

The recent campus violence against West Bengal Education Minister Bratyabrata Basu Roy Chowdhury during his visit to Jadavpur University led to this court decision. During the attack on his convoy, a student received injuries. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) requested better rules for campus security and discipline, after which a court intervened.

During the recent period of tensions at JU Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam wanted to know why university officials invited political representatives to the campus. Official events at the university should invite only experts together with distinguished academics according to instructions from the court to protect campus peace from disruption. The main objective remains education along with research activities while avoiding political forum exchanges.

Biswaroop Bhattacharya, as the petitioner, notified the court about severe security concerns at JU. So as a solution, he proposed to add CCTV surveillance and implement a fixed police station that would operate within the university grounds. According to him, external elements along with specific groups generated disturbances at the campus. According to senior counsel Kalyan Banerjee who represents the state government at JU has endured continuous difficulties at its institution.

The court mandated JU to restrict hostel entry and university premises access exclusively to registered students only. People who are not registered students at the university must receive authorization from the university administration before entering the premises. Preventing outside contact and ensuring university discipline are the main objectives of this present measure.

JU faces an urgent reminder from the High Court to keep politics at bay. The situation calls for both academics and discipline to remain the centre of priority. A political-free college environment can ensure students and staff experience peace and security through events at the university. JU's expected recovery of its distinguished educational research performance status will take place following these actions.