The Principal District and Sessions Court in Kanchipuram has issued summons in a defamation case filed by Avinav Thakur, the Assistant Registrar of Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD), who is facing serious sexual assault charges. Thakur has sought damages of ₹15 lakh and a permanent injunction against a professor, nine students, and media outlets Maktoob and Edex Live, accusing them of publishing “false and defamatory” allegations. The parties have been asked to appear in person on September 25.
Maktoob confirmed that it received the summons on September 11. The notice includes the names of Professor B. Rajesh Khanna, nine current and former students, along with the editors of Maktoob’s Instagram page and Edex Live’s YouTube channel.
The case stems from student protests in April this year, when more than 100 students gathered at RGNIYD demanding Thakur’s suspension after rape and misconduct allegations surfaced against him. Students said the administration failed to act despite ongoing criminal investigations. “We protested only after receiving no reply. Around the same time, the CAG auditing was happening, and we felt it was appropriate to convey our concerns then,” said Aslam, one of the accused students. He added that over 200 students had earlier signed a petition to the Dean, the Director, and the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports but got no response.
In his petition, Thakur accused Professor Khanna and students of planning and instigating the protest to obstruct the audit team’s work. He claimed that posters carried “false and offensive” accusations labeling him a rapist, which were later amplified on social media. “The defendants not only misused internal information but also orchestrated a coordinated defamation campaign aimed at maligning the Plaintiff’s reputation before the audit team and the public,” Thakur alleged. He argued that the campaign caused “widespread character assassination, deep personal humiliation, immense mental anguish, and irreparable harm.”
Aslam countered these claims, saying that posters only described Thakur as an “accused rapist,” not a “rapist” as stated in the suit. He also stressed that Professor Khanna had no role in the protest. “One of the students named wasn’t even present due to illness, and most of the others have already graduated,” Aslam said.
Thakur, who became Assistant Registrar in 2023, is facing an ongoing criminal case (FIR No. 157/2024) that includes charges of rape under Section 376(2)(n) of the IPC and provisions of the IT Act. The allegations date back to 2022, when he allegedly built a relationship with a participant during a program run with Punjab Technical University.
The Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) at RGNIYD later closed the matter, saying the complainant had no institutional link with the institute and that it was outside its jurisdiction.
Students allege that their protests have been met with retaliation. Three Muslim students, including Aslam, were suspended just a day before their final-year exams after being branded “anti-national” for raising slogans like “Free Palestine” and “Jai Bhim.” “The action was arbitrary, without evidence, and clearly linked to our protests against Thakur,” one of them said.
