Court order must be complied: BUET VC
Hours after the High Court postponed the decision of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) to ban political organisations and activities on the campus, BUET vice chancellor Satya Prasad Majumder said the court order must be complied.
“We must follow what the court orders. Court order must be complied. We cannot commit a contempt of the court,” he said while speaking to journalists at his office on the campus on Monday.
Before this, the High Court gave an order following a writ petition filed by a BUET student challenging the legality of a circular banning all political organisations and activities
Imtiaz Hossain, a student of civil engineering at BUET and a member of Bangladesh Chattra League’s central committee, filed the writ over the legality of the 'urgent circular' which the BUET authority issued on 11 October 2019.
When asked, BUET vice chancellor Satya Prasad Majumder said, “We are obliged to carry out the court order. The court is the supreme authority and what instructions the court will give we will obey those instructions.”
Replying to a query on what steps BUET would take following the court order, the VC said, “We have to consult with our lawyers. We cannot violate the court order. We will have to move ahead following rules and laws.”
Satya Prasad Majumder said he cannot say anything right now without seeing the court order and they will move forward in light of their legal advisors’ suggestion.
Replying to a query on whether incidents like the killing of BUET student Abrar Farhad would repeat on the campus once student politics is allowed, the VC said, “I cannot foretell. Will you or I know what will happen and what will not?”
Replying to another query, Satya Prasad Majumder said everyone including teachers, students, and administration will have to make the transformation to maintain a political atmosphere and how that can be done will have to be found out through discussion.
The activities of the Engineering University Central Students' Union (EUCSU) remain stopped.
So, they can do something taking the opinion of all parties.
The BUET VC said if he does something alone, that cannot be implemented. If they do something, that must be approved by the syndicate, and included in the ordinance.
They must have the approval of the president and university chancellor, or else it cannot be included in the ordinance. They have limitations. Yet, they will obey the court order. The university runs as per its rules, but the court order must be obeyed, he added.