The Bombay High Court on Wednesday dismissed the plea of Ramadas KS, a Dalit PhD student from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), challenging his two-year suspension for alleged repetitive misconduct and “anti-national activities.”
A Division Bench of Justice AS Chandurkar and Justice MM Sathaye rejected the plea, stating, “The petition is dismissed with no order as to cost.” A detailed judgment is awaited.
Ramadas, a member of the Students Federation of India (SFI), approached the court in May 2024, arguing that TISS suspended him without fairly considering his explanations. The university’s Empowered Committee accused him of participating in protests, including a January 2024 demonstration in Delhi under the Progressive Students Forum (PSF)-TISS banner.
TISS justified the suspension by claiming his activities were “not in the interest of the nation” and deemed his conduct inappropriate for a public institution.
In his petition, Ramadas argued that the suspension violated his constitutional rights, including freedom of speech and association. He cited University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines promoting critical thought and open debate without discrimination based on student identity or political views.
“TISS has fabricated a narrative to vilify me and punish me for my political activities,” Ramadas said.
He also sought permission to return to campus, continue his academic work, and receive his stipend.
Advocates Lara Jesani and Rishika Agarwal represented Ramadas, while Advocates Rajeev Panday and Ashish Kanojia, briefed by PRS Legal, appeared for TISS.
Advocate Rui Rodrigues represented the UGC, and Advocate Shilpa Kaptil appeared for the Union of India.
