New Delhi: Amid the ongoing protests in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) over the proposed fee hike, Delhi High Court on Friday granted relief to the students of the varsity allowing them to register in the next semester as per the old hostel manual within one week.

"Burden of paying contractual employees in state-run educational institutions cannot be put on students and the government has to find the funds," the Delhi High Court said on Friday, asking the JNU administration to allow those who have not yet registered for the winter session to do so under the old hostel manual.

The observation came after Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand, appearing for JNU, told the court hostel fees were hiked on a direction by the University Grants Commission, to all varsities, that they have to pay salaries of daily wage/contractual/out-sourced staff employed by them.

"So far as the remaining students are concerned, they need to register within one week as per the old manual. No late fees will be charged from them too," says Justice Rajiv Shakdar. The court will now hear the matter on February 28.

The court was hearing a plea filed by JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh and others seeking direction of the court to restrain the JNU administration from imposing late fees on students for registrations in the Winter Semester-2020. The plea also sought directions to the university to restrain them from taking any action, which would give effect to the draft hostel manual.

On January 20, three days after the deadline for registration for the winter semester in University, the administration had claimed that 82 per cent of the total 8,500 enrolled students had cleared their hostel dues.

To this, the court said, "Those who have paid, have paid. If 82 per cent have paid, then your financial concerns have been more or less taken care of. Rest of the funds you can arrange. For now engage with students, have a dialogue with them".

"The burden of paying contractual employees salary cannot be put on students in government-run institutions. You (varsity) need to find the money. Maybe the Ministry of Human Resource Development can find the funds. The government has to fund public education. It cannot get out of it," Justice Rajiv Shakdher said.

He also issued notices to JNU, the ministry and UGC, seeking their stand on a plea by JNU Students Union against the new hostel manual. The court said students of the reserved category, who come in the remaining 10 per cent, can also register as per the old manual and they should get registered within a week.

It directed the varsity to not levy late payment charges or penalty on students registering after the court's order.

Senior advocate Akhil Sibal, appearing for the students union, told the court since the election of 2018-19, the varsity has stopped engaging with student leaders and their views are being sought "less and less" on issues concerning the students.

The JNUSU office-bearers, in their plea filed through advocate Abhik Chimni, have challenged the minutes of the separate meetings held by the Inter Hostel Administration (IHA), the Executive Council and a high-level committee to amend and later approve the new manual, saying they were not consulted at any stage of the proceedings.

The entire process was conducted in a "tearing hurry" by the varsity, which went ahead and implemented the manual mid-term even as students were involved in talks with the HRD Ministry, Sibal told the court.

On this, the court said to JNU it should have included the representatives of the students union in its meetings on amending the hostel manual. It asked if the HRD Ministry can engage in a dialogue with students why can't the varsity do the same.

Earlier, the rent was Rs 10 and Rs 20 for double and single-occupancy rooms respectively. The rent for all students, including those with Junior Research Fellowship, Senior Research Fellowship and other equivalent scholarships or fellowships, for single and double-seater rooms has been hiked to Rs 600 and Rs 300 per month.

The rent for Below Poverty Line (BPL) category students for double and single-seater rooms has been increased to Rs 150 and Rs 300 per month, respectively. Earlier, there was no utility and service charge, but now the university will charge BPL students Rs 500 and other students Rs 1,000 for the same.

On utility charges, ASG Anand told the court that it has been waived for the current session. The petition has also challenged the minutes of IHA Meeting which states that mess services sanitation services, room charges, amongst others category of charges will be increased by 10 per cent every academic year.

(With inputs from agencies)