Source:- thewire.in<\/p>\n\n\n\n
New Delhi: <\/strong>Burden of paying contractual employees in state-run\n educational institutions cannot be put on students and the government \nhas to find the funds, the Delhi high court said on Friday, asking the \nJawaharlal Nehru University to allow those who have not yet registered \nfor the winter session to do so under the old hostel manual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The observation came after Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Pinky \nAnand, appearing for JNU, told the court hostel fees were hiked on a \ndirection by the University Grants Commission, to all varsities, that \nthey have to pay salaries of daily wage\/contractual\/outsourced staff \nemployed by them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ASG, assisted by advocates Harsh Ahuja and Kushal Sharma, said \n90% of JNU students have paid the increased fee and it would not be fair\n to allow the remaining 10% to register for the winter semester as per \nthe older hostel manual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To this, the court said, \u201cThose who have paid, have paid. If 90% have paid, then your financial concerns have been more or less taken care of. Rest of the funds you can arrange. For now engage with students, have a dialogue with them\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe burden of paying contractual employees salary cannot be put on \nstudents in government-run institutions. You (varsity) need to find the \nmoney. Maybe the Ministry of Human Resource Development can find the \nfunds. The government has to fund public education. It cannot get out of\n it,\u201d Justice Rajiv Shakdher said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also issued notices to JNU, the ministry and UGC, seeking their \nstand on a plea by JNU Students Union against the new hostel manual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The court said students of the reserved category, who come in the \nremaining 10%, can also register as per the old manual and they should \nget registered within a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It directed the varsity to not levy late payment charges or penalty on students registering after the court\u2019s order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senior advocate Akhil Sibal, appearing for the students union, told \nthe court since the election of 2018-2019, the varsity has stopped \nengaging with student leaders and their views are being sought \u201cless and\n less\u201d on issues concerning the students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The JNUSU office-bearers, in their plea filed through advocate Abhik \nChimni, have challenged the minutes of the separate meetings held by the\n Inter Hostel Administration (IHA), the Executive Council and a \nhigh-level committee to amend and later approve the new manual, saying \nthey were not consulted at any stage of the proceedings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The entire process was conducted in a \u201ctearing hurry\u201d by the varsity,\n which went ahead and implemented the manual mid-term even as students \nwere involved in talks with the HRD Ministry, Sibal told the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On this, the court said to JNU that it should have included the \nrepresentatives of the students union in its meetings on amending the \nhostel manual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It asked if the HRD Ministry can engage in a dialogue with students, why can\u2019t the varsity do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The JNUSU\u2019s petition has sought directions to quash the new hostel \nmanual \u201cillegally approved by the IHA as the decisions taken by the IHA \nare malafide, arbitrary, illegal and adversely affect the students\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It has claimed the decisions to amend the hostel manual are contrary \nto provisions of the JNU Act, 1966, Statutes, Ordinances and the Hostel \nManual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe amendments include reducing JNUSU representation in IHA, \nincreased rates as applicable to hostel residents and also brought \namendments to clauses of the Hostel Manual adversely affecting reserved \ncategory students in the University,\u201d the plea submitted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier, the rent was Rs 10 and Rs 20 for double and single-occupancy rooms respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rent for all students, including those with Junior Research \nFellowship, Senior Research Fellowship and other equivalent scholarships\n or fellowships, for single and double-seater rooms has been hiked to Rs\n 600 and Rs 300 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rent for Below Poverty Line (BPL) category students for double \nand single-seater rooms has been increased to Rs 150 and Rs 300 per \nmonth respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier, there was no \nutility and service charge, but now the university will charge BPL \nstudents Rs 500 and other students Rs 1,000 for the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On utility charges, ASG Anand told the court that it has been waived for the current session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The petition has also challenged the minutes of IHA Meeting which \nstates that mess services sanitation services, room charges, amongst \nothers category of charges will be increased by 10% every academic year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\n Executive Council of JNU showed total \u201cnon-application of mind\u201d when \ncreating a \u2018Below Poverty Line\u2019 category of students, the plea \ncontended.<\/p>\n