Bombay HC dismisses TISS Ph.D student’s plea against his suspension for ‘anti-national activities’ 

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday (March 12, 2025) dismissed a petition filed by Dalit Ph.D scholar Ramadas K.S., challenging his suspension by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) last year for alleged repetitive misconduct and anti-national activities. 

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He had been suspended for his partcipation in a demonstration at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and for organising the screening of a documentary about the Ayodhya dispute. TISS argued that he broke its rules by taking part in politically motivated protests even while being supported by Central government scholarships for Scheduled Caste students. A TISS committee had suspended him for a two year period.

In a detailed order, a Division Bench of Justices A.S. Chandurkar and M.M. Sathaye observed, “In the aforesaid facts and circumstances, having ourselves considered the material on record, we do not find that the impugned Committee report suspending the Petitioner for two years, suffers from any perversity or illegality. The impugned report and consequent action of suspension are based on material available on record and it is proportionate. We find that this is not a fit case to interfere. There is no merit in the petition and the same is dismissed.” 

Case timeline

Mr. Ramadas first enrolled at TISS in 2015, for a Master’s degree in Media and Cultural Studies, and was also awarded a scholarship by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. In 2017, he enrolled in the integrated M.Phil and Ph.D programme in Development Studies, but deferred admission for a year and joined in 2018. He successfully finished his M.Phil. degree in 2021. On February 8, 2023, he was awarded a national fellowship for Scheduled Caste students on the basis of his performance in the UGC-NET examination.   

On April 21, 2023, Mr. Ramadas received a show cause notice regarding a protest by him and other students held on March 21 that year, since they were denied permission to hold a guest lecture on the occasion of Bhagat Singh’s 92nd death anniversary. He replied to the show cause on April 27 that year, saying that a peaceful protest had been held outside the Director’s bungalow.

TISS released a circular on June 14, 2023, informing students that propagating their personal views as the views of the Institute would be seen as a violation of the Student Code of Conduct, as well as the Honour Code applicable to students.  

Delhi demonstration

On January 11, 2024, TISS issued a public declaration clarifying its non-involvement in the ‘Parliament march’ being planned by some students. The next day, Mr. Ramadas attended the march at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, as a member of the Progressive Student’s Forum (PSF). This demonstration was conducted by the United Students of India, which is a joint platform of 16 student bodies.  

A few days later, on January 16, 2024, Mr. Ramadas met with an accident following which he underwent a surgery and was hospitalised until January 25 that year. Being bedridden, he went to his hometown in Kerala for recuperation and has not returned to the TISS campus since then.   

On March 7, 2024, a show cause notice was issued to him alleging misconduct and anti-national activity. He responded to the notice on March 20, submitting five appendices as well. The Empowered Committee then issued a report on April 17 that year, suspending him from the institute for two years and debarring his entry across all its campuses. 

‘No crime committed’

Appearing for Mr. Ramadas, senior advocates Mihir Desai, Rishika Agarwal and Lara Jasani submitted that this committee’s report was based on two things: his participation in the Parliament March, and posting of pamphlets on social media sites about the screening of the documentary film Ram Ke Naam.

“The Parliament March pamphlet does not show TISS name and there was no march as such, and the protest was conducted at Jantar Mantar with police permission. There was no violence or disturbance at the said march and the protest was conducted in a public place which was permitted and overseen by police authorities, and there is no report of any crime being committed,” they argued. About the screening of Ram Ke Naam, Mr. Desai submitted, “The documentary film is not banned. In the committee that conducted the enquiry, only Dean, Students Affair is common as compared to the empowered committee provided under rules, and if empowered committee was already in place, there was no need of constituting a high-power committee.”  

‘Politically motivated’

Advocate Rajeev Kumar Pandey appearing for TISS argued that the institute does not take action unless it is absolutely necessary. “The petitioner has not come to the Court with clean hands. The Petitioner has admitted that in the demonstration at New Delhi, the word “TISS” was mentioned along with the abbreviation of PSF on one poster to show that the protesting students were from student group of TISS. Therefore, the name of the Institute was used by the Petitioner in a demonstration, which was clearly politically motivated.”  

Mr. Kumar added that the Ph.D student who was supposed to focus on academics had instead indulged in political demonstrations and organising unapproved events, screenings, holding sit-ins, and has therefore broken various rules. “He is a student who is enjoying scholarship in the form of fellowship given by Central government, which is given with the object to provide financial assistance to students belonging to the Scheduled Castes to pursue higher studies. While enjoying such government grants meant for pursuing studies, he has participated in politically motivated protests, using the name of the institute, which is clearly a breach of applicable Rules. The pamphlet of ‘Parliament March’ and its wording he submitted that said ‘Save India, Reject BJP’,” he added.