After a gap of 10 days since 25 June South Calcutta Law College at Kasba will resume classes and other academic activities on and from 7 July.
All classes in the South Calcutta Law College were virtually suspended for an indefinite period following the alleged incident of a gang-rape of a first-year law student by three persons, including the prime accused Manojit Mishra.
The governing body headed by Ashok Deb, Trinamul Congress MLA from Budge Budge in South 24-Parganas district, issued a notice on Sunday and officially suspended all classes for both undergraduate and post-graduate courses for an indefinite period.
The authorities had also announced that the college premises would remain closed for all students ‘until further notice as decided by the governing body.
The state education minister Bratya Basu had also expressed his displeasure after the college authorities decided to shut the college campus, suspending all classes.
On Thursday, the Calcutta High Court directed the college authorities to resume classes from Monday for the sake of students in the law college.
The court directed the government to issue an order to shut down all student union rooms in colleges and universities across the state until student body elections are held.
A division Bench of Justice Somen Sen and Justice Smita Das directed the higher education department in the state to issue notices to all colleges and universities. The court directed that these rooms should be locked and cannot be used for any kind of recreational activities.
“If there is any urgent need, a formal application with valid reasons must be submitted in writing to the university registrar,” the division Bench further ordered.
According to the legal wing of the college, lawyer Sayan Banerjee filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the HC requesting it to shut student union rooms in all government-aided colleges and universities at the backdrop against the incident of the gang-rape of the first-year law student at the law college. There was also an appeal to the court requesting it to direct the law college authorities to resume classes as usual there at the Kasba campus.
The legal wing said that the college will reopen on and from 7 July but the union room and guard room would remain shut as per the court order.