In a recent decision, the Bombay High Court declined an urgent hearing request from Ramadas KS, a Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) PhD student suspended for alleged misconduct and anti-national activities. The court session, led by Justices Arif Doctor and Somasekhar Sundaresan, decided to schedule the hearing for June 18, post the summer vacation.
Ramadas, studying in the School of Development Studies at TISS, was handed a two-year suspension on April 18. Following this, he challenged the suspension through a legal petition, highlighting the immediate consequences he faced, including the cessation of his scholarship. His lawyer, Mihir Desai, argued these points before the court.
TISS, however, contested the urgency of the hearing. In their affidavit, the institute suggested that Ramadas had other remedies within the institute’s framework that he could pursue before approaching the high court. They pointed to an internal committee that addresses student misconduct, indicating that the student should have first appealed to the institute’s vice-chancellor.
Moreover, TISS’s submission detailed the formation of a high-level committee within the institute, tasked with addressing serious student misconducts. The affidavit also hinted at political pressures affecting the institution, citing social media campaigns and political advocacy supporting Ramadas.
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In his rejoinder affidavit, Ramadas refuted the claims of leveraging political influence and insisted on the lack of fairness in the disciplinary proceedings. He alleged a violation of the principles of natural justice and his fundamental rights, advocating for the high court’s intervention to overturn his suspension.
