A writ petition has been filed at the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court on Saturday to quash and set aside Savitribai Phule Pune University’s eight-day protest notice rule. Law student from ILS College Avinash Solunke and president of the media department of the Maharashtra Youth Congress Akshay Jain have filed the petition with SPPU through its registrar and State of Maharashtra. As reported by The Indian Express, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) issued a circular on December 30 declaring that permission for meetings, sit-ins, protests, or similar programmes must be obtained from the university administration at least eight days in advance. This move was opposed by the National Students’ Union of India, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, and the University Student Struggle Action Committee. The petition says, “.students have the right to peacefully protest, as it is a fundamental part of democratic engagement. The respondent University’s impugned circular limits this right by requiring prior permission, which could be seen as an infringement on the ability to respond quickly to urgent issues. For instance, a sudden crisis or a pressing issue, such as policy changes, discrimination, or university mismanagement, may require immediate action that cannot wait for 8 days’ approval from the respondent university.” SPPU’s circular also referred to a previous judgement by the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court. This judgement upheld a circular by the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, saying that the University’s permission for any meetings or sit-ins was required. Countering this, the current petition says, “the High Court of Judicature at Bombay Bench at Aurangabad has nowhere described the 8 days’ prior permission as necessary and compulsory for organizing any agitation, rallies, and peaceful protest by the students.the respondent university has wrongly interpreted the order of the High Court of Judicature at Bombay Bench at Aurangabad while imposing the said 8 days’ prior permission. “ Jain explained his reason behind filing the petition by saying, "This decision (by the University) directly attacks the rights of students to express themselves. The rule requiring permission eight days in advance for protests is an attempt to suppress the voices of students. We strongly oppose this unjust decision and have approached the judiciary to seek its repeal.”
