A section of students from the NALSAR University of Law raised their objections and urged the Hyderabad-based law university to reconsider its choice of having Chief Justice of India Surya Kant as the chief guest for their convocation.
The National Academy for Legal Studies and Research University, or NALSAR, is a public law school in Hyderabad, Telangana. NALSAR is also among the various national law Universities across India.
In an email sent to the university officials, students have raised their objection, citing the refusal of the Supreme Court bench, led by CJI Kant, to hear a plea regarding the alleged police brutality against students during the July 20 ‘Chalo Sansad’ march in New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
The march, led by the Cockroach Janta Party as part of their demand for the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, was met with a brutal crackdown by Delhi Police, Rapid Action Force, CRPF and other security personnel. Student protestors were subject to tear gas, lathi charge, electric batons and even pellet guns by security personnel to disperse the crowd.
The students refer to a court hearing on July 22, two days after the brutal police crackdown on students and protesters in Central Delhi. During this, the CJI-led bench declined to hear the plea, and as advocates tried to show footage of police brutality, CJI Kant stated that the court was not interested and did not have time.
“We are not interested in videos; we don’t have time to watch,” said the CJI.
“As students of law, our concern is narrower and more specific to us as a graduating batch. A convocation is meant to be a moment where the University’s own values, including a commitment to constitutional rights, access to justice, and reasoned engagement with grievances, are visibly reflected in the choices it makes,” the students wrote in their email, as per news agency PTI.
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“We feel that receiving our degrees from a dignitary whose recent public conduct, as reported, appears dismissive of serious allegations of police brutality against protesting citizens sits uncomfortably with what we have been taught to value during our time at NALSAR”, they added, stating that they are raising the matter well in advance so that the university can reconsider its choice.
As of Sunday, PTI reported that the students have not received any reply from the university administration.
