HC directs meeting of DU authorities on water coolers, WiFi at Law Faculty

New Delhi: Delhi High Court has asked the Delhi University authorities to convene a meeting of stakeholders within a week on the availability of water coolers/purified drinking water and infrastructure such as WiFi for students at the Faculty of Law and to file a report.

A vacation bench of Justice Amit Sharma also issued notices to the Bar Council of India secretary and the university's dean of students' welfare on the petition by three law students, raising concerns over the lack of basic amenities and infrastructure on campus.

The counsel appearing for the Delhi University assured the court that necessary provisions with regards to water cooler/drinking water are available on the campus.

Justice Sharma opined that the Bar Council of India and the dean of students' welfare are necessary parties to the petition and also appointed advocate Rajesh Mishra as amicus curiae.

"Keeping in view the issues raised in the present petition, it is imperative that a meeting be convened amongst all the stakeholders, ie, dean of students' welfare of Delhi University, dean (Faculty of Law), petitioner No 2 and the learned amicus curiae appointed by this court with regard to assessing the facilities provided to the students with regard to the water coolers/provision for purified drinking water as well as the other infrastructural facilities, including the availability of WiFi services," the court said in its order on June 12.

"Let the meeting be convened with the mutual convenience of the parties within one week from today ... and a report with regard to the same be placed on record before the next date of hearing," it ordered.

Besides water and WiFi, the petitioners Ronak Khatri, Ankur Singh Mavi and Umesh Kumar also raised concern over lack of air conditioning in classrooms, saying conditions become "unbearable" when temperatures in Delhi reach up to 48 degrees Celsius during the summer months.

"This situation is contrasted by the presence of multiple air conditioners in administrative offices and staff rooms, indicating a significant disparity in the allocation of resources. Furthermore, the third building, constructed with makeshift materials such as tin roofs and asbestos-lined walls, exacerbates the heat issue, creating an uninhabitable learning environment. The students have on many occasions suffered heat strokes, fainting etc, including the petitioner No 1," the plea stated.

It further said there is no provision for clean drinking water on campus, which forces students to buy packaged water, and added that maintenance of washroom facilities is also inadequate.

"Overall, the campus lacks essential amenities and properly maintained classrooms and common areas. These deficiencies collectively create an environment that is not conducive to learning and pose significant safety risks. The lack of basic infrastructural facilities constitutes a violation of petitioners' fundamental rights under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and, by extension, the right to education," the plea said.

The matter will be heard next on July 4.