Students are not miscreants, Bombay High Court says on MPSC protest in Pune

The Bombay High Court heard a petition on the ongoing protest by MPSC students in Pune, and spelt out its position on the students' right to agitate while pulling up the petitioners.

"The students are not miscreants. If there has been some mess-up in the examination, they have the right to protest," Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi said.

The petition was filed by Amit Supekar and Saurabh Virkar of Pune against the MPSC students' agitation. During the hearing, the court also took note of the protesting students.

The court said that if there has been any irregularity or malpractice in the recruitment process, students have the right to protest. The government pleader informed the court that no cases have been registered against the students so that their careers are not put at risk.

The court also stressed that MPSC examinations should be transparent. It said that a fair and transparent decision must be taken after considering the students' demands.

The court reminded that Pune is regarded as the home of learning. Students come here from far and wide, and many of them struggle as they prepare for competitive examinations. It is therefore necessary to build the students' trust in the system, the court noted.

The court said that parents send their children to Pune for education, so their concerns and difficulties must also be understood. It also expressed the expectation that whatever decision the government takes should be taken transparently.

The court also said that students should focus on their studies and careers rather than on the agitation. It held that the responsibility for resolving the students' problems lies with the government, which should discharge it.

The court said Pune should not become a centre of agitation. Pune's identity as a centre of education must endure, it observed, adding that otherwise parents may start wondering whether to send their children to Pune for studies.

Meanwhile, one group of students told the court that it would withdraw its agitation. However, the protest led by Rohit Pawar is reportedly still continuing.