The Telangana High Court ruled that the engagement could have “political connotations,” and as the university has already prohibited political gatherings at Osmania University.
On May 4th, 2022, the Telangana High Court dismissed a plea challenging Osmania University’s decision to deny permission for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to attend an event on campus.
Gandhi was supposed to meet the students on May 7 at the Hyderabad campus. The university administration, however, denied permission for the visit, claiming that no political activity was permitted on campus.
The institution highlighted a 2017 resolution that said that non-academic activities, such as political activities, would be prohibited. On April 29, K
Manavatha Roy, a research researcher at Osmania University’s Arts College, and three other students filed a plea in the Telangana High Court asking for a directive to the authorities allowing the event.
Roy and five other students also wrote to the university registrar, requesting that Gandhi be allowed to visit.
Gandhi’s visit, according to the petitioners, had no “political intentions” and was held for the sake of “country building” and to meet university students and unemployed youth, as reported by The News Minute.
The Telangana High Court ruled on Wednesday that the engagement could have “political connotations,” and as the university has already prohibited political gatherings. So, it cannot be allowed.
The court further said, “The University campus cannot be used as a political platform.” It further said, “Permitting political events is a violation of Resolution No 6 of 1591h meeting of the executive council of the university.”
After the administration of Osmania University in Hyderabad declined to grant permission for Gandhi’s event, protests erupted. Congress leaders claimed they applied for authorization on April 23 and stated that the event would be non-political.
The dean of the university’s Postgraduate College of Law, G. Vinod Kumar, had indicated support for the Congress leader’s visit.
He claimed that leaders from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Communist Party of India, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) had previously visited the university, and that excluding a Congress politician from visiting was improper.
Edited by – Vanshika Sahu
Published by – Mohd Faizan
