HC orders stakeholders’ meeting on ‘lack of drinking water, air conditioning, Wi-Fi’ at Delhi University’s law faculty

During the hearing on Wednesday, the university’s counsel submitted, “on instructions”, that the necessary provisions with regard to water cooler or drinking water are “in existence”.

The high court said the meeting would be convened with the mutual convenience of the parties within one week from Wednesday and that the university’s counsel should coordinate with the stakeholders. The court also called for a report to be placed before it before the date of next hearing, July 4. The court also impleaded the Bar Council of India and the dean of student’s welfare as parties to the matter.

In their plea, Ronak Khatri, Ankur Singh Mavi and Umesh Kumar, all students at the Faculty of Law, claim that the “deplorable condition of the faculty infrastructure” has severely affected their ability to pursue education.

The law faculty has three colleges under it–Campus Law Centre (where Khatri and Mavi are enrolled), Law Centre-1, Law Centre-2 (where Kumar is enrolled). There are four buildings in the faculty on the university’s north campus.

“The lack of air conditioning in classrooms has created unbearable conditions, especially during peak summer months when temperatures in Delhi can reach up to 48°C. The classrooms in Building 1 have no air conditioners installed whatsoever whereas building 2, and 3 are not equipped with functional air conditioning, making it extremely difficult for students to focus and study. 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,” the plea submits.

The plea adds that there is an “acute shortage of drinking water” in the law faculty, having “upwards of 5,000 students”, as it is equipped with only “four water coolers”. “The quality of available water is poor, characterized by high total dissolved solids and a strong chlorine taste, leading to health problems among students,” the plea states. On the other hand, the plea states, the college administration daily orders “20-litre water bottles for the administrative staff, Dean’s office, PIC office, staff room and other administrative areas”.

The plea further submits that the washrooms in the faculty are not maintained well and are insufficient–“building 1, building 2 and building 3 have eight washrooms (4 for girls, 4 for boys)”.

The plea states that though Wi-Fi is available in buildings 1 and 2, its signal strength is “exceptionally weak and the connection speeds are abysmally slow”. It further says the Wi-Fi service was “entirely inoperative” on numerous occasions and that building 3 has “no Wi-Fi installed”.

The plea states that such connectivity issues hinder the students’ ability to access essential academic resources and communicate effectively.