WBNUJS students call for suspension of Vice-Chancellor in wake of sexual harassment complaint by teacher

The Student Juridical Association of the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS), Kolkata has written to Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud asking him to take note of the sexual harassment complaint lodged by a faculty member against Vice-Chancellor Prof NK Chakrabarti..The letter follows a Calcutta High Court order passed last week directing the local complaints committee to reconsider the complaint filed by an Associate Professor at the University against the VC..The local committee initially rejected the complaint by the teacher on the ground of limitation. Justice Kaushik Chanda, however, opined,“...The local committee, in deciding the issue of limitation, should accept the allegations made in the complaint at its face value. There is no occasion to examine the veracity of the allegations made in the complaint at the threshold stage...”.The student body vehemently condemned the Vice-Chancellor’s attempt at circumventing legal procedures.“We strongly condemn the presumption of falseness made regarding Associate Professor...complaints and deliberate attempts by the Vice Chancellor to circumvent the appropriate legal procedure by abusing his position of power. These alleged actions constitute blatant patriarchal exploitation and an attempt to undermine Associate Professor’s respect and dignity at her workplace,” the letter reads..Citing the blatant ignorance of the mandates stipulated under the NUJS Policy on Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual Harassment, 2016 and the corresponding Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (PoSH Act), the letter put forth certain demands:Immediate steps be taken to ensure that the teacher is not further victimised or subjected to any harassment or hostility from faculty/non-faculty staff, and to that effect undertake a thorough, unbiased investigation against the Vice Chancellor regarding allegations of sexual harassment and intimidation.Immediate suspension of the Vice Chancellor from office, and prevention from undertaking any duties or responsibilities as the university's Vice Chancellor until acquittalEnsure that the VC does not influence any proceedings instituted against him and that he recuses himself from any subsequent EC meeting called to discuss the same subject-matter. The EC’s decision discouraging the teacher from seeking recourse by approaching the Chancellor be set aside.The farcical and retaliatory fact-finding committee created by the Vice Chancellor against the teacher be dismissed.Denial of any extension whatsoever for the Vice Chancellor to continue his office..The letter concludes with an urgent plea to the CJI.“...We humbly pray to your Hon'ble Lordship to take note of the allegations of sexual harassment and institutional marginalisation and our just demands, which attempt to salvage not only the institutional reputation of NUJS but also the idea of a safe space for all students, victim-survivors and those from vulnerable communities in our university,” the letter concludes..The faculty member in question alleged that she was a victim of sexual harassment and misconduct by the Vice-Chancellor on several occasions between September 2019 and December 2023. She also claimed that she faced delays in salary, denial of promotional opportunities and professional threats after she resisted the VC's demands.