The Calcutta High Court has ordered the closure of all student union rooms in colleges and universities across West Bengal until student body elections are held. This directive was issued by a Division Bench of Justices Soumen Sen and Smita Das De. The court has specified that these rooms are to remain locked and cannot be used for any recreational activities. In the event of an urgent need, access can only be granted with written permission from the university registrar or the principal of the institution.

The order came during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Sayan Banerjee. The PIL highlighted the alleged gang rape of a first-year law student at South Calcutta Law College, part of which reportedly occurred in the student union room. Banerjee's plea stated that the main accused in the case, Monojit Mishra, had been carrying out activities in the name of the students' union of South Calcutta Law College.

The PIL also pointed out that student union elections have not been held in West Bengal since 2017, leading to a situation where union offices are operating unlawfully, often by former students and unelected individuals. The petitioner argued that these unofficial unions were operating from the union rooms, making them hubs of antisocial activities. According to the petitioner, student union offices are continuing their operations without any sanction or provision of law. Concerns were raised that individuals who were elected or nominated when the last election or selection was conducted are still entering campuses by virtue of their previous posts in the student union.

The court has directed the state government to submit an affidavit clarifying its position on the pending student union elections within two weeks. The next hearing on the matter is scheduled for July 17.

The court clarified that the order allowing the use of union rooms under special circumstances with written permission would not apply to the student union room of South Calcutta Law College, which is currently sealed as part of the ongoing investigation.

Monojit Mishra, the prime accused in the law student's rape case, is a former leader of the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) and was later appointed as a casual employee at the college. He allegedly used the union room premises to extort, threaten, and abuse vulnerable students.

Responding to the court's order, TMCP state president Trinankur Bhattacharya stated that they would abide by the court's directives and await the next hearing. He emphasized that union rooms belong to all students, not any particular political party.

Following the High Court's directive, colleges in Kolkata began locking their union rooms. The court's order does not include recreational or common rooms, and is restricted to the rooms identified and used as student union rooms.