Last year in February, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and its students were the talk of the town due to being embroiled in controversy arising from some students organising an event in the campus, protesting against the hanging of 2001 Parliament attack accused, Afzal Guru. On February 9, along with others, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya had raised anti-national slogan at an event and later, got arrested.

They recently told the Delhi High Court that they were never told by JNU that a high-level enquiry committee (HLEC) was carrying out disciplinary proceedings.

Claims made by Umar Khalid's lawyer

The lawyer for JNU student Umar Khalid, who was arrested by the police in connection with the event, argued before Justice V K Rao and said, "It was only an enquiry committee, set up purely to enquire. It was to be a fact-finding exercise. No one knew it was a disciplinary proceeding."

He further added, "It (HLEC) was not set up to find someone guilty and punish them. It was set up to enquire into the incident and then recommend what action was to be taken.''

He also argued that his client was first found guilty of indiscipline and then was charged for it

He also claimed that no such notice seeking an enquiry was served on the student, who was in hiding for several days before surrendering after which he was in jail till March 18, 2016

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The court listed the matter on January 9 after hearing arguments on behalf of Khalid and Bhattacharya. Till then, the interim order putting the varsity's decision on hold would continue, it said.

Besides these two, former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar were also arrested by the police in the sedition case which was lodged after the event. The court was hearing appeals by 21 students, including Kanhaiya, against the varsity's order holding them guilty of indiscipline in connection with the February 9 event.

The students also felt that not giving them due opportunity to defend themselves against the charge of indiscipline, violated the principles of natural justice. They have also challenged their punishment which ranges from rustication for a few semesters to withdrawal of hostel facilities.

The appellate authority of the university had rusticated Umar from JNU till December 2016, while Bhattacharya was asked to be out of the varsity for five years.

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