The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday granted interim relief to Shri Ramswaroop Memorial University in Barabanki, staying both the arrest of its officials and the demolition of alleged encroachments on gram sabha land.
The relief came through two different benches of the court.
- A division bench of Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan and Justice Syed Qamar Hasan Rizvi ordered an interim stay on the arrest of university officials. The order was passed in connection with an FIR lodged on September 3 at Barabanki Kotwali, charging the university with fraud and forgery.
- In a separate proceeding, Justice Alok Mathur stayed demolition action against the university. The tehsil had earlier directed removal of alleged encroachments through an August 25 order, which the university challenged. The court noted that while the appeal is pending before the district magistrate (DM), no demolition should take place until the DM decides on the interim application.
The High Court directed all parties to file their replies by September 25, and instructed the DM to decide the interim application within 10 days thereafter.
The litigation follows a turbulent period at Shri Ramswaroop University. On September 1, members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged protests alleging irregularities in a law programme, claiming the course lacked recognition from the Bar Council of India and jeopardised their future.
Police had used force to disperse the protestors, leading to the suspension of four police personnel. Subsequently, FIRs were filed against the university administration.
With the interim orders, the university has secured temporary protection from both criminal proceedings and demolition measures. The final outcome now hinges on the district magistrate’s decision and the High Court’s further consideration after replies are filed later this month.
