Meghalaya HC to take suo motu action if NEHU crisis persist 

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaNovember 13, 2024

The Meghalaya High Court on Wednesday said it would consider taking suo motu cognizance if the prevailing situation in the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) persists.

The court was hearing a PIL seeking its intervention to pass appropriate orders to restore normalcy and for smooth running of the institution, which has been under total lockdown due to the ongoing indefinite hunger strike protest led by the North Eastern Hill University Students’ Union (NEHUSU) backed by the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU – NEHU Unit) for the past nine days, demanding the immediate removal of the vice chancellor Prof PS Shukla, registrar and deputy registrar.

In its order, the bench comprising Chief Justice Indra Prasanna Mukherji and Justice B Bhattacharjee said, “We take judicial notice of the fact that the state government has made some recommendations to the Central government to resolve the acute problems which the University is facing today and that the Central government is contemplating measures to resolve them.”

“As the administration of the University is controlled by the Central government, we are minded to give some more time to it to resolve the issue. If the problems persist till the returnable date, we shall consider taking suo motu cognizance of the affairs and decide the matter accordingly.

We shall continue to take judicial notice of the developments,” it stated.

The bench also directed that the petitioner shall communicate this order to all stakeholders including the Central and state governments, the Vice Chancellor, the employees’ and students’ unions.