The suspension of Professor Rasal Singh, the principal of Delhi University's Ramanujan College, has been delayed by the Delhi High Court.
Three academic members, including the daughter of a former Union cabinet minister, accused the university of harassment and wrongdoing, which led to the suspension.In order to challenge his suspension, Professor Singh filed a writ petition with the court, arguing that he was not given a chance to be heard and that the accusations were made with political intent to discredit and remove him.
Because one of the complainants had been rejected for a promotion because of insufficient paperwork submitted to the college's Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), the petition further alleged that the allegations were retaliatory. Professor Singh was represented by senior counsel Geeta Luthra.
According to the petition, he had also made a number of requests for intervention, including to the Prime Minister's Office, against what he characterized as political victimization and conspiratorial conspiracy.
Before he was suspended, he said he was under pressure to quit. According to media allegations, there may have been a bigger conspiracy because several members of the college's Governing Body were not contacted when the suspension decision was made.
Since there was no hearing before the committee released its conclusions, the petition claimed that the procedures went against natural justice principles, according to news agency ANI.
The High Court noted that the matter should have been referred to the college's properly established Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) in accordance with the Prevention of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013 and the University Grants Commission (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual Harassment of Women Employees and Students in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2015, while providing temporary relief.
The committee established by the university and its report were deemed to be unlawful by the court.
The ICC, which has the authority to carry out the investigation, will now review the matter.
