New Delhi: In an open letter addressed to Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, students from the National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS), Kolkata, have demanded the immediate suspension of their Vice Chancellor based on allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct.
Justice Chandrachud also happens to be the University Chancellor.
The allegations against Prof. N.K. Chakrabarti, the University’s V-C, relate to his behaviour towards a female professor who was allegedly subjected to repeated instances of sexual harassment and misconduct between 2019 and 2023. The professor had also allegedly faced repeated delays in salaries, denial of promotional opportunities, and misconduct by the Vice Chancellor during this period.
In the open letter, a copy of which is with ThePrint, students at NUJS have made five “unconditional demands” from the Chief Justice of India.
These demands include Chakrabarti’s immediate suspension, refusal of tenure extension due to “no confidence” in his abilities, and dismissal of a fact-finding committee set up by the V-C himself to look into the allegations.
“We demand immediate suspension of the Vice Chancellor from his office and that he be prevented from undertaking any duties or responsibilities… until his acquittal”, the student body has said.
“Finally, we resolutely demand that owing to the lack of confidence of the NUJS General Body towards the Vice Chancellor, coupled with the allegations discussed, no extension be granted to him…”, the letter adds.
Students have also demanded that efforts be made to ensure the complainant does not face further harassment or hostility from the University, and an unbiased investigation against the Vice Chancellor in the matter.
The letter from the student body comes after the Calcutta High Court had last week asked a local committee constituted under the POSH Act, to reconsider its position which had rejected the complaint because it was “barred by limitation”. This means that the complaint had been raised after the legally permissible time allowed to file such complaints.
However, the high court last week rejected the POSH local committee’s decision, noting that the allegations against Chakrabarti were of a “continuing nature” when the complaint was read as a whole.
“In my view, the order dated March 5, 2024, passed by the local committee is not sustainable and, accordingly, the same is set aside with a direction upon the local committee to conclude the proceedings initiated on the complaint …on merit in accordance with the provisions of the Act of 2013.”, the high court noted in its order.
The NUJS student body also expressed its support with the University professor and condemned the “presumption of falseness” by the local committee. They alleged that the V-C was attempting to abuse his power and undermine legal procedure.
“The alleged hostility and indifference by the University Administration and repeated retaliatory actions undertaken by the Vice Chancellor are unequivocally condemned by the student body,” says the letter.
“These alleged actions constitute blatant patriarchal exploitation and an attempt to undermine [the professor’s] respect and dignity at the workplace,” it adds.
The students have also said that it was “appalling” that the committee and administration were complicit in the oppression of the complainant and did not regard the allegations to be one of sexual nature.
The NUJS students have also demanded that any efforts by the V-C to influence the meetings of the University bodies about the allegations be regarded as an abuse of power.
Notably, the University’s high-powered Executive Council had allegedly “vilified” the complainant for directly approaching the Chief Justice of India in November and December 2023.
The students opposed such observations and noted that it was not prohibited by any law including the NUJS Act, under the scope of which the University was established, and the complainant could not be faulted for approaching CJI Chandrachud directly.
Akshat Jain is a student of the National Law University, Delhi, and an intern with ThePrint.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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