Setting aside suspension for one whole academic year (2019-20) of two NRI first-year B.Tech. students of National Institute of Technology-Warangal , Telanagana High Court ordered that the two students found possessing ganja should do social service during weekends for two months.
Justice T. Vinod Kumar of the HC, who delivered judgment in two writ petitions filed by the students challenging the ‘one-year suspension’ awarded by the NIT-Warangal senate, modified the suspension ‘to the end of first semester’. Observing that the punishment was being modified “in order to bring about reformation among the students”, the judge said there was no change in aspects of the punishment.
Ganja was seized from the possession of the students staying in the college hostel on October 26, 2019. On November 15, 2019, the two students appeared before a disciplinary committee admitting to their guilt. A week later, the committee suspended them from college for one year and barred them from appearing for first-year exam along with a penalty of ₹ 1 lakh each.
The judge opined that institutions like NIT should adopt a long-term rehabilitative and retributive approach towards students falling prey to drug abuse. The two students were in their teens and would emerge skilled professionals if moulded in the right path, the verdict said.
The judgement said the contentions of the students that the punishment was biased and vitiated proceedings cannot be accepted as they had already admitted to their guilt and there was evidence against them. However, the findings of the disciplinary committee were contradictory. On one hand it said that one student expressed regret and sought forgiveness and on the other it also recorded that he didn’t show any remorse, the verdict said.
