‘Contempt of Supreme Court’: JNU Names 9 Students, Seeks FIR Over Anti-Modi Slogans On Campus

New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has officially written to the Delhi Police seeking registration of an FIR in connection with anti-Modi and anti-Amit Shah sloganeering on its campus, naming nine students. 

The university administration has termed the slogans raised during the gathering as ‘objectionable, provocative and inflammatory’ and said that they amounted to ‘contempt of the Supreme Court of India’. 

Anti-Modi Slogans at JNU

The incident took place on the night of January 5, outside Sabarmati Hostel at JNU. As per an internal report submitted by the Chief Security Officer to the Chief Proctor, a programme was organised by students associated with the JNU Students’ Union to mark the sixth anniversary of the January 5, 2020 campus violence.

The number of students present at the spot was approximately 30 to 35. The report further stated that several students were identified during the programme. 

“The prominent students identified during the programme included Aditi Mishra, Gopika Babu, Sunil Yadav, Danish Ali, Saad Azmi, Mehboob Ilahi, Kanishk, Pakeeza Khan, Shubham, and others,” it reads.

According to the university’s account, the nature of the gathering changed over the judicial verdict on the bail pleas of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.

“However, during the course of the programme, subsequent to the judicial verdict on the bail pleas of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, the nature and tone of the gathering changed significantly. Certain students began raising highly objectionable, provocative, and inflammatory slogans,” the report said.

Calling it a serious violation, the report adds, “It is a direct contempt of the Honourable Supreme Court of India.”

University Seeks FIR

In its letter to the Delhi Police, JNU has requested that an FIR be filed against the students seen in the video footage of the incident. The administration has also stated that the slogans were “clearly audible, deliberate and repeated” and were not spontaneous in nature.

JNU further maintained that the sloganeering violated the university’s code of conduct and had the potential to disrupt campus harmony and public order. Security officials were present at the site during the incident, with the report for verification and further action.

Earlier, Delhi police had issued notices to the officials of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) for questioning in connection with the protest. 

Sixth Anniversary of 2020 JNU Attack

The demonstrations took place on the sixth anniversary of the January 5, 2020 incident, when masked assailants attacked students and teachers on the JNU campus. 

Marking the day, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association (JNUTA) commemorated it as a “brutal attack” and alleged that the attackers continue to remain unidentified.

The JNUSU organised a “Guerilla Dhaba” on campus on Monday night, describing it as a symbolic protest against the 2020 violence. 

Several students associated with left-wing organisations were present at the site when the controversial slogans were raised, including JNUSU joint secretary Danish and secretary Sunil. 

Reacting to the incident, Manish Choudhary, vice president of the JNU unit of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), said that slogans such as “ABVP RSS ki kabar khudegi” were also raised during the protest. He remarked that such sloganeering had become common on the JNU campus.

Choudhary welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision, stating, “We welcome the order of the Supreme Court rejecting the bail pleas of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam,” and reiterated the ABVP’s support for the verdict.

Library Surveillance Row 

Earlier, students protested and damaged a newly installed facial-recognition device at the Dr B R Ambedkar Central Library, accusing the administration of privacy violations and lack of transparency in implementing the new entry system. Following the incident, university officials have ordered a security probe.

According to reports, JNUSU vice president Gopika Babu and a group of students protesting the system allegedly broke the machine and damaged the library gate, triggering a tense atmosphere on campus. Several groups have demanded strict action against those involved.

In an official statement, the JNU administration strongly condemned the vandalism, calling it a “shameful” act by “left-wing goons”. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), JNU unit, demanded that all those responsible be identified and subjected to strict punitive action.

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