(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
The Delhi High Court stepped in on Tuesday to hear a challenge from the suspended principal of Ramanujan College, a Delhi University institution. Professor Rasal Singh is fighting back against his suspension over sexual harassment claims filed by three teachers.
Justice Sachin Datta quickly issued notices to the college and other involved parties. He also ordered them to bring all relevant records to court. The next hearing is set for September 26.
Senior advocate Geeta Luthra represented Singh and asked for an immediate stay on the suspension order. But Justice Datta replied, “We can’t grant a stay without hearing the other side. Come back on Friday.”
Singh received the suspension notice via email on September 18, 2025. His legal team, including advocates Lakshay Saini, Prashanshika Thakur, and Shalini Singh, argues the whole process was flawed from the start.
They claim the complaint came from an assistant professor upset over a denied promotion. The promotion list went out on March 12, 2025, and the complaint followed just a day later on March 13. According to the petition, this looks like a motivated attack, not a genuine issue.
Plus, the petition points out that the complaint is time-barred under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) Act. The law requires reports within three months of the last incident, and this one missed that deadline badly.
Singh’s side says the June 23, 2025, inquiry report was unfair. College officials never shared documents or complaint copies with him, robbing him of a chance to defend himself. This breaks basic rules of natural justice, they argue.
The ad-hoc committee that investigated? The petition calls it biased, run by three Governing Body members who both probed the case and decided its outcome— a clear conflict.
The findings don’t line up with the UGC Regulations of 2015 or the PoSH Act of 2013, Singh’s lawyers say. The report felt like an afterthought, and he only got a chance to respond later, at the request of a lawyer advising the college’s Governing Body chair. Even then, they never shared the final legal opinion despite his repeated asks.
That post-decision “hearing” doesn’t cut it, the petition stresses—true fairness demands input before any ruling.
The suspension itself? Singh calls it arbitrary and illegal, violating Section 12 of the PoSH Act and UGC rules. He wasn’t told about any Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) setup, its recommendations, or even the legal advice that led to this. The law doesn’t even allow suspension as an interim step without proper process, his team argues.
This case highlights ongoing debates around workplace harassment probes in Indian colleges, especially how to balance quick action with fair hearings under the PoSH Act.
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