The Delhi High Court on Thursday set aside the disciplinary action taken by JNU against 15 of its students, including ex-JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, in connection with a controversial event in the varsity on 9 February 2016.
Justice V K Rao remanded the issue back to the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to be decided afresh after allowing the students to inspect the records and hearing them.
The court told JNU's appellate authority to pass a reasoned order within six weeks of hearing the students, that the varsity did not give them due opportunity to defend themselves against the charge of indiscipline.
The students, including Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, in their pleas had 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 Khalid from JNU till December this year, while Bhattacharya was sent out of the varsity for five years.
Kanhaiya, Khalid and Bhattacharya were earlier arrested in a sedition case in connection with the 9 February event on the campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.
They were later granted bail in the case in which the chargesheet has not yet been filed.
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