Calcutta High Court on Friday directed Santiniketan police to disperse with immediate effect the agitating students from the Visva-Bharati campus, particularly from the office and the residential area of vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty and the surroundings of the administrative building of the university complex.

In his directive, Justice Rajasekhar Mantha also asked the police to remove all banners and posters and related articles from the varsity complex and to ensure that loudspeakers were not used in the area.

The judge asked the university to restore normality as soon as possible and directed both the police and the Visva-Bharati authorities to file regular reports before the court. The order said no agitation would be allowed within a 50-metre radius of the university complex.

The court also ordered police deployment at the university complex for keeping normality. The court asked the authorities to ensure that all closed-circuit cameras were working properly within the complex.

“The vice-chancellor of the university in addition to his own security guards shall also be provided with three constables from the Santiniketan police station for his protection,” stated the order, additionally.

“No demonstration shall be conducted by any students or any persons within a distance of 50 meters of any portion or part of the university, particularly, the schools, classrooms, the residence of the vice-chancellor, teachers, professors, officials, staff library, the administrative buildings, laboratories, etc.,” it further added. The directions were to be carried out by the Santiniketan police from 4pm on Friday.

The order followed a petition by the authorities of Visva-Bharati, which wanted the state government to take proper steps against students and teachers who had been holding “illegal” picketing around the VC’s office and residence for the past few days.

The petition also claimed that outsiders were extending support to the agitators by entering the campus illegally and that the picketers were not even allowing physicians to check on the health of Chakrabarty.

Appearing for the students, advocate Mohammed Shamim told the court that Chakrabarty was the “root” of the trouble, having rusticated three students illegally.

At this, Justice Mantha said: “The students could move court to challenge the VC’s decision. The way they took instead, was not legal. The court cannot tolerate such acts. Normality must be restored in the university.”

Advocate Shamim then said: “To stage peaceful demonstration is a fundamental right of the students.” Justice Mantha asked him to show him the law, for which Shamim prayed for time.

“Till then, the days’ order will prevail,” said the judge.

Jayanta Narayan Chatterjee, the lawyer appearing for the university authorities, claimed that the agitation was not peaceful. The agitators locked the rooms of the vice-chancellor and other officials, he said.

Appearing for the state, Amitesh Banerjee opposed the plea and said the vice-chancellor himself, with the help of security personnel, had locked the rooms.