Delhi HC restores Jamia Teachers Association, says University cannot override Constitutional right to association

The Delhi High Court has struck down Jamia Millia Islamia’s decision to dissolve the Jamia Teachers Association (JTA) and nullify its elections, ruling that the university’s actions infringed the constitutional right to association and were devoid of any lawful justification.

Justice Sachin Datta observed, “The core issue pertains to the permissible extent of interference by the University in the internal affairs of an association of teachers”, and held that Jamia’s actions went beyond that boundary. The court said the university’s orders were “administrative in nature, bearing no rational nexus to any legitimate regulatory purpose.”

The case arose from Jamia’s office orders and an advisory issued in November 2022, which dissolved the JTA, sealed its office, and barred its members from m