KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the West Bengal Higher Education Department to keep students’ union rooms in colleges and universities across the state locked, after taking note that student elections had allegedly not been held for the last several years.A Division Bench of Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Smita Das De instructed the Higher Education Department to issue a closure notice for the union rooms.The Bench further directed that, in case of any urgent need, an application should be made to the registrar. Otherwise, the union rooms will remain locked. The Court also sought the state’s position on the holding of students’ union elections. The state has been asked to file an affidavit within two weeks. Earlier too, the High Court had sought the state’s opinion on this issue. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for July 17.During the hearing, advocate Sayan Banerjee pointed to an earlier affidavit submitted by the Higher Education Department which stated that there was no students’ council in the state at present because elections to students’ unions in colleges and universities were allegedly not being held.In his submission to the Court, Banerjee pleaded that there was no need to keep the students’ union rooms open in the absence of elected students’ councils.The Court directed the college and university authorities to keep the students’ union rooms under lock and key. The Bench also barred the use of union rooms for recreational purposes.It may be noted that in the recent gang rape incident within the premises of South Calcutta Law College, the victim alleged that she was sexually tortured inside the union room of the college by the accused. In this context, the Calcutta High Court’s order on Thursday assumes significance.
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