The Daily IIJ

Four senior staff members of the University of Ghana, Legon, are to face contempt of court charges after their refusal to obey the orders of a human rights high court in Accra to open the rooms of two students to enable them prepare for their exams.

The Senior Tutor of Legon Hall, the Hall Master, the Dean of Students and the Registrar of the University are facing the charges.

The contempt of court charge is a result of the refusal of the four to obey a ruling passed by the human rights high court in Accra on November 11, 2008, after it has granted an exparte motion for interim injunction brought by Victor Kwadjoga Adawudu on behalf of his clients, Elvis Ampedu and Isaac Kwame Batu, who are aggrieved final year students of the University of Ghana. The court in its ruling noted that “if this case has to wait to go to trial or if the respondents have to be served, the applicants would suffer irreparable damage.”

In an interview with The Statesman, Mr. Adawudu explained that since the authorities have refused to obey the court’s order by not opening the rooms of his clients which, contained their belongings to enable them to study for their exams which starts yesterday, they are left with no choice than to cite them for contempt. He alleged that the authorities have all been served with the court’s ruling and are aware of it.

The contempt suit was filed yesterday.

In the substantive case, the plaintiffs are praying an order of the court restraining the defendants, their agents, servants and assigns from evicting them from their residential facilities located in Legon Hall, University of Ghana, Legon. They are further seeking an order from the court compelling the Senior Tutor and the Hall Master to constitute and independent body to look into their grievances.

The facts of the case are that the plaintiffs who are registered and qualified members of the Legon Hall Junior Common Room and accredited observers of Congress, the highest decision making body of the JCR, were evicted from their rooms with their belongings including their books and pocket monies locked up by the Senior Tutor and Hall Master of their hall for questioning and issuing a press statement on some of the activities of the JCR President and his executives.

The two stated in their motion paper for interim injunction that although Congress on May 22, 2008, took a decision to impose a levy of GH¢19.50 as hall dues of every first year member of the JCR for the 2008-2009 academic year, the JCR President and his executives unanimously decided to increase this amount to GH¢22.00. They claimed that during some part of the vacation period and early part of this semester, the JCR President accommodated his mother in the hall without any explanation to members of the hall, especially on the ‘H’ block which is a male block. Plaintiffs said in the address of the state of the JCR delivered by the President, he told members that the JCR had procured an amount of GH¢6000 for some projects, although such contracts was not approved by the Congress of the JCR.

According to the two, as registered members of the JCR they questioned the JCR President and his executives and demanded answers from them which they failed or refused to do. The plaintiffs therefore issued a press statement to Radio Univers, the University’s radio station, and the appropriate authorities in the University to compel the JCR President and his executives to answer the questions.

However, the Senior Tutor and the Hall Master viewed the plaintiffs’ press statement demanding answers, probity and accountability as an affront to their dignity, and consequently evicted them from their residential facilities.

The two students reported the issue to the Dean of Students for the resolution of the matter, but the Dean will not give them an opportunity to be heard unless they apologise and retract the press statement.