New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has ordered Jawaharlal Nehru University to allow a PhD scholar enrolled in the campus to live with his wife in the hostel.
The order came after the couple was denied re-entry to the campus hostel accommodation after a circular said that students who had left the campus before lockdown may return only after such a notification is issued.
The petitioner, Deepak Kumar along with his wife, was out for fieldwork to OP Jindal University in Sonipat before the lockdown came into force.
After Unlock-1 came into operation, he wrote to JNU seeking permission for the couple to return to the varsity, but received no response and therefore moved to the high court.
According to the petition, Kumar is pursuing PhD (Law) from the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance (CSLG), JNU and has been residing at Subansir (Mahanadi) Hostel, meant for married students, with his wife since 2015.
Kumar had said that he had married against the will of his parents and the village elders. In such circumstances, he cannot go to his native village with his wife and has no alternate accommodation option. His wife's examination is also scheduled to begin on July 17.
The court observed that the couple have no other place to go and are unlikely to get any other accommodation immediately in the COVID-19 circumstances.
The court made the observation that JNU's hostel is the only place for Deepak and his wife to reside. Therefore, the hostel is the only home where the petitioner and his spouse can stay and their access to the same cannot be denied.
After obtaining instructions from the university administration, the counsel for JNU said that Deepak has been allowed to stay in his hostel under special circumstances. The court then directed him and his wife that they would follow the central government guidelines related to COVID-19.
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