Meghalaya High Court warns of intervention as NEHU crisis deepens

The Meghalaya High Court, on Wednesday, threatened to step in if authorities fail to resolve the ongoing crisis at North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), where students have been staging a nine-day hunger strike.

Chief Justice Indra Prasanna Mukherji and Justice B Bhattacharjee set November 20 as the deadline for the Central government to address the situation. The university has been under total lockdown due to protests led by student unions demanding the removal of Vice Chancellor PS Shukla and other top administrators.

"If the problems persist till the returnable date, we shall consider taking suo motu cognisance of the affairs and decide the matter accordingly," the court warned while hearing a Public Interest Litigation seeking intervention to restore normalcy at the institution.

The court acknowledged that the state government has already submitted recommendations to central authorities to address what it called "acute problems" facing the university. Since NEHU falls under central administration, the bench granted additional time for resolution.

Student groups, including the North Eastern Hill University Students' Union and Khasi Students' Union, have maintained their indefinite hunger strike despite the deteriorating situation on campus.

The court ordered its directive to be communicated to all stakeholders, including both central and state governments, the Vice Chancellor, and various university unions. Attorney P Yobin had earlier urged the court to intervene to restore normal university operations.