SC upholds TISS suspension of research scholar, relaxes term
Mumbai: The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a decision of the
Tata Institute of Social Sciences
(TISS) suspending
Dalit PhD scholar
Ramadas K S for his alleged misconduct and anti-national activities, but relaxed it to the period already undergone.
A TISS empowered committee on April 17, 2024, found Ramadas in breach of the honour code, rules and regulation of the institute and suspended him for two years and debarred his entry across all its campuses. A SC bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Manmohan reduced the period of suspension from two years to the period undergone till Friday.
The bench noted the submissions of advocate Rajeev Kumar Panday, appearing for TISS, and perused the documents which prompted the committee to suspend the scholar for two years.
The bench, which did not set aside the suspension order, took note of the fact that Ramadas, represented by senior advocate S Muralidhar, was doing his PhD from the institute and should be allowed to conclude it.
Panday referred to the records and alleged misconduct of Ramadas to argue that the Bombay high court was correct in not interfering with the suspension. The HC on March 12 dismissed Ramadas's plea challenging his suspension by TISS following which he moved the apex court.
Ramadas was suspended for his participation in a demonstration at Delhi's Jantar Mantar and for organising the screening of a documentary about the Ayodhya dispute. TISS alleged he broke its rules by participating in "politically motivated protests" despite being supported by central govt-funded scholarships for scheduled caste students.
"In the …facts and circumstances, having ourselves considered the material on record, we do not find that the impugned committee report suspending the petitioner for two years, suffers from any perversity or illegality. The impugned report and consequent action of suspension are based on material available on record and it is proportionate. We find that this is not a fit case to interfere. There is no merit in the petition and the same is dismissed," the HC had said.
Ramadas first enrolled at TISS in 2015, for a Master's degree in Media and Cultural Studies, and was also awarded a fellowship by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. In 2017, he enrolled in the integrated MPhil and PhD programme in Development Studies, but deferred admission for a year. He successfully finished his MPhil degree in 2021. On Feb 8, 2023, he was awarded a national fellowship for scheduled caste students on the basis of his performance in the UGC-NET exam. agencies
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