By: Anwarulhaq Baig
New Delhi, March 4, 2025 : Delhi High Court has stayed the suspension of several Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University students who had been penalized for participating in protests in the campus without prior permission. The court also directed the formation of a high-level committee under the supervision of the university’s Vice Chancellor to ‘calm down’ the ongoing students’ unrest.
The matter came to light after Jamia suspended 17 students on February 12, citing their involvement in unauthorized protests that allegedly disrupted the university’s order and defaced public property. The students had been protesting against the administration’s restrictions on campus protests and the suspension of four PhD scholars for organizing a demonstration marking the fifth anniversary of the 2019 police crackdown on anti-CAA protesters in the campus.
Court Strongly Reprimands the JMI Administration
Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma expressed concerns over the university’s handling of the protests, labelling the actions taken against the students as excessive. Justice Sharma remarked that the protests appeared “peaceful” based on preliminary records.
The judge underscored that the students, “of tender age,” were engaging in protests as part of their rights within the framework of the law, adding that such participation is an essential component of training in the “basic principles and norms of civil society.”
The HC judge further observes “If someone is indulging in criminal activity, definitely take action… but handle children carefully.” Calling for an immediate resolution of the situation, he ordered that a committee be formed under the Vice Chancellor’s supervision to mediate the issue, with the inclusion of student representatives to ensure dialogue and understanding between the two parties. He also directed the university to submit a detailed report on the situation.
The Fallout: Students Protest Against Harsh Measures
The protests at JMI began in February 2025, as students gathered to voice their dissent over the university’s gradually cramping orders on protests and gatherings. The protests sparked after the university imposed show-cause notices on four PhD research scholars when they had organised a peaceful sit-in in the campus on December 15, 2024 to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the 2019 Delhi Police crackdown on students during the anti the CAA movement.
While the university argues that the protests had no academic relevance and were held without permission, students, led by the students bodies including AISA, AIRSO and Fraternity Movement insist the demonstrations were peaceful and legitimate forms of freedom of expression. According to the students, the protests were not just about the PhD scholars’ suspension, but also to demand the repeal of a 2020 memorandums that banned protests on campus, as well as to challenge the imposition of fines for wall-writing and pasting posters in the campus.
On February 12, the JMI took rapid action by suspending 17 students and imposing an indefinite ban on their entry to the campus. However, the court heard arguments that these measures were harsh, arbitrary, and violated natural justice. The students in their petition contended that they had not been given any opportunity to defend themselves before the suspensions were issued, nor had they been involved in any criminal activity.
Some of the suspended students, represented by senior advocates Colin Gonsalves and Abhik Chimni, argued that the university had resorted to disproportionate action, accusing the administration of siding with the Delhi Police and acting without due process. Advocate Gonsalves emphasized that the students involved had a clean track record and were protesting peacefully in a designated area , outside the campus canteen.
While, JMI’s lawyer, Advocate Amit Sahni defended the suspension, arguing that the students had not sought permission for the protest and were causing disruption by sleeping in public spaces in the campus.
Tensions escalated further on February 13, when Delhi Police detained several students during the protests. Students alleged mistreatment, including being prevented from contacting their families for hours. Though the students were eventually released after nearly 12 hours, the incident sparked more protests and amplified allegations of police high-handedness.
Delhi High Court’s order for forming a peace committee is an effort to contain the unrest and provide a common platform for students and JMI administration to engage in constructive discussions and dialogue for restoring peaceful atmosphere in the university. The HC cautioned that any punitive measures, including suspensions, should not go beyond the scope permitted by the university’s own ordinances, which restrict suspensions to a maximum of two weeks without a formal probe.
The court ruled that this stay on suspension of the students would remain until April 2, 2025, giving the committee a deadline to assess the situation. However, the students continue to maintain that the disciplinary actions against them were part of a larger pattern of University’s authoritarianism under the current administration, which they claim has become more authoritarian since VC Mazhar Asif took office in October 2024.
Hailing the HC ruling, the AIRSO JMI chapter stated that even though the suspension has been stayed, the demands raised by the students remain unfulfilled. Therefore, their struggle for campus democracy will continue. The student organization reacted, “The revocation of the Office Memorandum that arbitrarily bans protests and sloganeering on campus, the Office Order that bans graffiti and postering at the university, and an end to the Show Cause Notice culture and the witch-hunting of students who raise their voices of dissent are demands yet to be fulfilled.”
It commented that, until now, the university administration has kept its eyes and ears closed to the students’ demands, while at the same time ruthlessly suppressing student voices. The AIRSO JMI expressed hope that the administration may now listen to the students’ demands, while appealing to all students to stand with courage and raise their voices to reclaim the democratic spaces of Jamia.