The Case in Brief: From suspension to the Supreme Court

Ramadas K.S., a first-generation learner from a Dalit family in Kerala, first joined TISS in 2015 to pursue a Master’s in Media and Cultural Studies. In 2021, he enrolled in the integrated MPhil-PhD programme in Development Studies. His academic record earned him a National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste candidates in 2023, awarded by the Union Ministry of Social Justice following his successful performance in the UGC-NET examination.

In April 2024, Dalit PhD scholar Ramdas was suspended for two years by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), sparking widespread concern about academic freedom and political expression on Indian campuses. The disciplinary action was triggered by his participation in a protest against the BJP government and the National Education Policy during a Parliament March in Delhi, organised under the banner of the Progressive Students’ Forum–TISS (PSF–TISS). The institute claimed that by using the name “TISS” in posters and slogans, Ramdas had given the impression that the institute endorsed the protest, thereby bringing it into disrepute.

The institute also cited past instances of activism, including an overnight protest outside the TISS Director’s residence and a social media post encouraging students to watch Ram Ke Naam, a documentary critical of Hindutva politics. According to TISS, this pattern of “repetitive misconduct” and prioritising political activity over academics justified the suspension. Ramdas, who was on a scholarship from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, also had his fellowship withheld.

In May 2024, Ramdas challenged the suspension before the Bombay High Court, arguing that it violated his fundamental rights, particularly his freedom of expression and association. However, in a verdict delivered in March 2025, the High Court upheld the suspension, stating that while Ramdas had a right to his political views, he had crossed the line by linking those views with the institute’s name. The judgment has since raised alarm among student groups and civil society over its implications for dissent in academic spaces. Pursuant to the judgment delivered by the High Court, Ramdas had moved the Supreme Court.

Detailed analysis of the Bombay HC order may be read here.

Before the Supreme Court: Arguments and considerations

At the Supreme Court, the petitioner was represented by Senior Advocate and Former Chief Justice of Orissa High Court Dr. S. Muralidhar, who pressed for immediate relief and reinstatement. As per LiveLaw, the counsel had argued that the disciplinary proceedings lacked fairness and transparency, and that the two-year suspension imposed on a student nearing the completion of his PhD would irreparably harm his academic career. It was submitted that a student’s future should not be sacrificed for alleged procedural lapses, especially when adequate time had passed and there had been no recurrence of misconduct.

On the other side, Advocate Mr. Rajeev K. Pandey represented TISS. According to the report of LiveLaw, the institute maintained that it had acted within its rights, asserting that the Code of Conduct was binding on all students, and that institutional autonomy in disciplinary matters should be respected by the courts. TISS did not appear to offer any concessions during the hearing, nor did it appear inclined to revoke the suspension voluntarily.

Supreme Court’s Reasoning: Pragmatism over prolonged punishment

The Supreme Court Bench, comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Manmohan, took a notably restrained and equitable approach. In its brief but effective order, the Court consciously chose not to delve into the factual or legal merits of the suspension or the underlying allegations. Instead, it focused on the broader question of what justice required at this stage.

Acknowledging that more than a year had passed since the suspension order, the Court observed that “interest of justice would be best served if the said order does not continue to operate any longer.” This key observation, reported by LiveLaw, reflects a pragmatic judicial philosophy: once sufficient time has elapsed, and where the balance of convenience shifts in favour of a student’s rehabilitation, the punitive aspect of suspension should not be allowed to frustrate academic aspirations.

The Bench further noted that their intervention was being made without expressing any opinion on the original suspension decision or on the validity of the High Court’s ruling. This hands-off approach allowed the Court to grant relief without undermining the autonomy of the educational institution or setting a precedent of judicial overreach in disciplinary matters.

“Without examining the claims and counter-claims on merits, we feel that TISS having suspended the petitioner on 18th April, 2024 and lapsing of more than a year since then, interest of justice would be best served if the order of suspension is not continued further and he be permitted to pursue the PhD course in TISS” the Court stated in its order.

The complete order may be viewed here.

Final directions of the court

Accordingly, the Supreme Court issued the following directions:

1. The suspension order dated 18 April 2024 was set aside prospectively, i.e., it would no longer remain in operation from the date of the Supreme Court’s order.
2. Ramadas was permitted to resume his PhD course at TISS with immediate effect.
3. He was directed to “faithfully observe the Code of Conduct” of the institution during the remainder of his academic tenure.
4. The institute was granted liberty to take appropriate action should there be any further breach of conduct in the future.

Why this order matters

This ruling is important on multiple counts. First, it signals the judiciary’s role in protecting students from unnecessarily harsh and extended disciplinary actions that could cause disproportionate harm. The Supreme Court chose not to scrutinise the conduct allegations or institutional procedures in depth. Instead, it applied a time-sensitive, equity-based lens, recognising that the ultimate objective of educational discipline must be reformative—not vindictive.

Second, the case shows a subtle but important rebalancing of power between students and universities. While the Court did not curtail the institution’s authority to impose discipline or to revisit misconduct in the future, it sent a clear message: institutional autonomy cannot become a shield for actions that deny students the opportunity to complete their education, particularly when the situation is remediable and the student expresses a willingness to comply with norms.

Third, the decision upholds a compassionate and constructive vision of higher education. It recognises that students are not beyond redemption and that access to education is a fundamental pathway for growth, especially in a public institution like TISS, known for its role in nurturing social science scholarship and public service.

Reactions and significance of the verdict

The Supreme Court’s intervention has been widely hailed by student and rights-based organisations as a critical reaffirmation of campus democracy and educational equity. The Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch (DSMM) and Jati Ant Sangharsh Samiti-Maharashtra (JASS) welcomed the verdict as a corrective to the “arbitrary” and “discriminatory” action of the TISS administration.

In a joint statement, they described the verdict as a “victory for student rights” and a strong message in favour of protecting the rights of students from marginalised communities who voice dissent against state policies. “Denying education to students is not merely a personal setback—it’s a fundamental rights issue,” they asserted.

As per a report of The Wire, Ramadas echoed this sentiment in a heartfelt Facebook post following the verdict, stating:

“On the 366th day of legal proceedings since approaching the High Court, I am officially a student again – from today – at the very institution that denied me education 380 days ago. This fight was never just about one student. It was about the fundamental rights of many and the soul of campus democracy.”

“Surviving in a city like Mumbai without access to education and financial support is not easy, but challenging the suspension was the only way forward. I’m happy that I can now return to my studies,” he told EdexLive.

He also expressed solidarity with student struggles at other universities including Jamia Millia Islamia, Jadavpur University, and Ambedkar University Delhi.

Ramadas acknowledged the significance of this solidarity, “I’m grateful for the support I received from the student community, including those at TISS and various student organisations across India. Human rights activists, writers, journalists, and others in civil society all stood in solidarity with me. It meant a lot.”

However, he also emphasised the darker side of his battle. “I cannot forget the cyberbullying and slander campaigns that took place, and the threats I received in different languages. I hope this ends now,” he added, while speaking to EdexLive.

Conclusion

The Supreme Court’s order in Ramadas KS’s case is an instructive example of judicial pragmatism and humaneness. Without interfering with the autonomy of academic institutions or opening a floodgate for challenges to disciplinary actions, the Court crafted a path that allowed a student to return to his studies without formally ruling on the merits of the dispute.

In a time when student rights and institutional discipline often find themselves in conflict, this judgment reminds us that the pursuit of justice sometimes lies not in prolonged legal battles, but in timely, balanced, and forward-looking solutions.

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This, despite the fact that the organisers had submitted a letter in advance, informing the police about the protest. “They still went ahead and began detaining students and protestors. A police complaint has now been registered against five to six of us, including myself,” said Shailendra Kamble, one of the protest organisers as per Free Press Journal. Though those detained were released later in the evening, the action has raised alarm over the criminalisation of peaceful student-led dissent. A day before the protest, the TISS administration had issued an advisory warning students not to participate—an action that one may see as pre-emptive intimidation.

The protest was sparked by the recent Bombay High Court decision that upheld TISS’s controversial decision to suspend Ramdas for two years. The administration had accused him of “repetitive misconduct” and allegedly participating in “anti-national” activities, including public criticism of the central government and involvement in protests against the New Education Policy (NEP). The court, refusing to intervene, stated that the petition lacked merit. But to many in the academic community, the suspension reflects a deeply troubling trend of institutional overreach and the silencing of critical voices, especially those from marginalised communities.

Progressive groups and student organisations have denounced both the suspension and the high-handed response to the protest as emblematic of a growing intolerance for academic freedom and dissenting opinion in higher education. They also demanded that Ramdas’s fellowship be reinstated, and that TISS reassert its commitment to democratic principles rather than stifle them.

The entire incident—marked by the administrative advisory, police clampdown, and criminal complaints—underscores a growing climate of fear within campuses that were once known for nurturing critical thought and political engagement. The treatment of Ramdas P.S., a Dalit scholar, and the suppression of those who came out in solidarity with him, raise serious questions about caste-based discrimination and the erosion of democratic rights in public universities. As TISS joins the growing list of institutions where dissent is punished and student activism is under surveillance or is criminalised, this case serves as a sobering reminder that the fight for academic freedom is far from over.

Bombay High Court upholds TISS student’s suspension over politically motivated protest: A closer look at the judgment

In a significant order with troubling implications for dissent in academic spaces, the Bombay High Court had upheld the suspension of Ramdas. Ramdas was debarred for two years by the institute for his participation in a demonstration against the BJP government and the National Education Policy (NEP), held under the banner of the Progressive Students’ Forum (PSF–TISS). The division bench comprising Justice A.S. Chandurkar and Justice M.M. Sathaye found merit in the disciplinary action taken by TISS, stating that the protest was “politically motivated” and that the student’s actions had brought disrepute to the institute.

The court’s ruling leaned heavily on the institute’s claim that by participating in the protest under a banner mentioning “PSF–TISS”, the petitioner created the public impression that the political views expressed during the protest were endorsed by the institute itself. The bench observed, “It is therefore clear as sunshine that the said march was politically motivated, which the Petitioner participated in under the banner PSF–TISS in a student group. Therefore, the finding of the Committee that the Petitioner created an impression in general public that the politically motivated protest and views were the views of the Respondent/institution TISS, is founded on material available on record and no fault can be found to that extent. This has brought disrepute to the Institute in its view. Petitioner can have any political view of his choice, but so does the Institute.”

Ramdas, who had earlier completed a Master’s degree in Media and Cultural Studies from TISS and was pursuing his PhD on a scholarship from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, had been served a show-cause notice for participating in the “Parliament March” in Delhi on 12 January 2024. According to the institute, a poster released by PSF in connection with the march included the acronym “TISS”, creating the impression that it was an official representation. In his reply, Ramdas acknowledged his participation and admitted that “TISS” had been mentioned alongside PSF in a poster. Following an inquiry, the institute suspended him for two years and withheld his fellowship.

The court also examined a pamphlet circulated as part of the protest campaign which included slogans such as “Save India, Reject BJP” and accused the government of attempting to dismantle the public education system. The judges took particular issue with the fact that Ramdas expressed these political views while associating himself with the name of the institute. As the court stated, “The Petitioner has full freedom of expressing his political view; but to do so under the banner of Respondent Institute is what is objected to by the Institute.”

Referring to the Honour Code that students are required to abide by, the court noted that students explicitly undertake not to “malign the name of the Institution by presenting views on any platform, tarnishing/damaging the name of the institution in the public domain.” The bench held that Ramdas had violated this code by expressing his political stance under the TISS banner.

Another dimension of the court’s ruling pertained to the institute’s consideration of Ramdas’s past conduct. The student had reportedly taken part in an overnight protest outside the TISS Director’s bungalow, where students engaged in sloganeering that, according to the court, interfered with the Director’s personal life and rights. Though TISS had not taken disciplinary action for that incident at the time, the court held that it was within the institute’s rights to take such past conduct into account when determining punishment. The bench remarked, “It is settled position of law that in any inquiry, once the delinquent is given sufficient notice about past conduct or antecedents and opportunity is given to the reply to the same, the past conduct can be taken as material consideration while arriving at the quantum of punishment.”

The judges further reasoned that the two-year suspension was not disproportionate, nor did it amount to a violation of Ramdas’s fundamental right to freedom of expression. Since his conduct was found to be in breach of institutional rules, the court stated that disciplinary action was justified. The judgment concluded with a pointed remark about his use of public funds: “The Petitioner while enjoying the financial aid approved by the Respondent/Institute, participated in a clearly politically motivated protest in a student group under a banner having name PSF–TISS. Therefore, the necessary effect of such conduct on the decision of the Respondent Institute about grant is bound to follow.”

In view of these observations, the High Court dismissed the petition and upheld the disciplinary decision of TISS.

The complete order may be read here.

Ramdas vows to approach Supreme Court, calls suspension a threat to campus democracy

Following the Bombay High Court’s dismissal of his plea against suspension, Ramdas announced that he will challenge the verdict in the Supreme Court. Speaking to the Free Press Journal, Ramdas expressed his dismay at the outcome, stating, “It is shocking that the Hon. Bombay High Court dismissed the case after more than 10 months of legal procedure. Once I evaluate the full judgment, I will take this matter to the Supreme Court of India.”

He stressed that the issue goes beyond his individual case, arguing that it has wider implications for student rights and democratic expression within universities. “I deeply understand that this case is not just about me, but about the fundamental rights of all students and campus democracy in India’s higher education system. I believe this case may set a wrong precedent for universities across India to target students who have independent opinions. This is a brutal violation of Freedom of Expression guaranteed by the Constitution of India,” he said.

The controversy surrounding Ramdas’s suspension had also sparked broader concern within academic circles. On October 4, 2024, an assistant professor at the TISS Hyderabad campus, Arjun Sengupta, joined a student-led protest in solidarity with Ramdas. The demonstration was organised by the Progressive Students Organisation (PSO) and the Ambedkar Students’ Association at the institute’s off-campus centre. Shortly after his participation and a speech expressing support for Ramdas—parts of which circulated widely on social media—Sengupta was issued a show cause notice by the administration.

This sequence of events underscores growing unease over shrinking space for dissent in academic institutions and the increasing scrutiny faced by both students and faculty who voice critical or oppositional views.

Background of the Case: Political targeting alleged behind TISS student’s suspension

The suspension of Dalit PhD scholar Ramdas from TISS had raised questions about the repression of political expression in academic spaces. Following his suspension on April 18, 2024, the Progressive Students’ Forum (PSF) alleged that the institute had acted in retaliation for Ramdas’s activism, particularly his participation in a protest march.

According to the PSF, the TISS administration served Ramdas a show-cause notice on March 7, 2024, citing his involvement in the Parliament March and his social media post urging students to watch Ram Ke Naam, a 1992 National Award-winning documentary by Anand Patwardhan that critiques the Hindutva campaign behind the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The institute reportedly labelled this encouragement as an “anti-national act,” which added fuel to accusations that his suspension was politically motivated.

In response, TISS justified the suspension by claiming it was a consequence of “repetitive misconduct over a period of time.” In a statement dated April 20, 2024, the administration alleged that Ramdas had increasingly prioritised political activities over academic responsibilities. “Throughout his tenure, Ramdas KS exhibited a shift in focus towards activities unrelated to his academic pursuits, engaging in events, protests, and other activities influenced by personal political agendas,” it stated. The administration added that despite “repeated verbal and written advisories” to focus on his academic work, Ramdas had failed to comply.

In May 2024, Ramdas filed a petition before the Bombay High Court challenging his suspension. He argued that the disciplinary action violated his fundamental rights, particularly his right to freedom of speech and association, as guaranteed by the Constitution. His petition contended that the institute had constructed a false narrative to punish him for his political beliefs and activism. In addition to seeking a revocation of the suspension order, Ramdas requested permission to return to campus, resume his academic activities, and receive his scholarship stipend, which had also been withheld.

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Ramadas’s suspension has created an uproar in the student fraternity. He was also formerly the general secretary of the Progressive Students’ Forum (PSF) at TISS Mumbai.

A student Sabrang India spoke to narrated the arrival of the suspension letter. As per the student, the charges against Ramadas are for participation in a protest march at Jantar Mantar. Ramadas was a coordinator and speaker for the march titled Parliament March which was organised by Opposition leaders and the student coalition, United Students of India in January 2024. Additionally, he was also charged for making a Facebook post recommending people to watch Anand Patwardhan’s acclaimed documentary, Ram Ke Naam.

Sabrang India spoke to a student on ground who stated that the order has suspended the student and barred them from entering each of TISS’ campuses, located in Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Tuljapur, for two years.  The university has stated that these actions are not in the interest of the nation or the university. “It seems like TISS does not want to permit students to have personal opinions,” the student told Sabrang India.

The Progressive Students’ Forum, an organisation in TISS, released a statement on the suspension, and marked it as a grave threat against students, “If a student dares to express their opinion publically, they will be hunted down by the administration and labelled ‘anti-national’—especially if the student comes from a marginalised background—so much for an Institute that takes pride in its academic excellence and freedom.”

The statement also accuses the TISS administration of prioritising to take out such actions against anti-government protests, instead of improving the hostel conditions and other infrastructural facilities. It has termed this step as an “an open warning to all students of TISS against organising and calling out the anti-student policies of the administration.”

This is not the first time TISS has been criticised for curbing freedoms. In January 2024, students at TISS, Mumbai were troubled after they witnessed a bar on lectures, seminars, and other activities on campus, after a notice was issued by the institution in January where the TISS administration prohibited students from organising any events until additional guidelines are provided by the institute. According to the Free Press Journal, there were no such guidelines issued by the university even after two months of the order. TISS Mumbai had also barred all protests against the Ram Temple inauguration in Uttar Pradesh in January this year.

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“Only a broken system shuts down instead of engaging in a dialogue. #injusTISS. How can a higher education institute shut down indefinitely in between an academic year, risking the future of entire student body?”

Twitter users on Tuesday questioned a sine die order by Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Hyderabad administration to quell protests going onwithin the institute for eight days now.

Students of the premier institute for social sciences have been on strike since Monday July 8 demanding a revision in the hostel fees. The student bodies feel that the increase in fees will detrimentally affect Dalit and Adivasi students from seeking admission.The main demand of the students protest has been for the institute to lower the feestructure.

After the institute’s operations were moved to a different campus, reports indicate that a ‘new private service provider’ asked students for six months accommodation fee to be paid in advance. This means that for students, beneficiaries of the government of India post-metric scholarship (GoI-PMS) a payment of Rs. 54,650 at one go, which students protested is far too high.
The protest has been marked by a shocking show of arrogance by the academic authorities: s Dalit and Adivasi women were allegedly being asked to wait on the streets at 11 pm in the night because of their inability to pay the fees. Many students have had to vacate their hostels in the middle of the academic session again on grounds of being unable to pay up!

It was when the meetings with administration didn’t bear any fruitthat eight students went on a hunger strike on July 11 and more pledged to join if demands were not met. However, there has been not much response from the administration, apart from calling the protests ‘illegal’ and ‘unlawful’. More seriously, two students on hunger strike fell gravely ill and one had to be admitted to the hospital. So far, the administration, instead of initiating dialogues with the students, announced a ‘sine-die’ closure of the campus from July 15, Monday till the protests stopped.

The Student Action Committee member said, “Even though voices of dissent have been miffed by putting an undemocratic order of closure of academic activities, the protests will continue.”

On Tuesday, students and supporters took to twitter to express their grievances:

Expressing solidarity with the protesting students the student body based in JNU, Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association (BAPSA) noted, “There is a palpable fear that many existing students might be forced to drop out of the course owing to high fees. This is a serious attempt to push students coming from a certain background outside of university spaces.”

Senior activists including Medha Patkar, Aruna Roy and Binayak Sen  have also written  to the administrative heads of both TISS Mumbai and Hyderabad asking the admin to “take necessary steps to ensure that Dalits, Adivasi and other students from marginalized backgrounds have access to hostel and other amenities.”Referring to recurring protests in various TISS campuses, including the one in Mumbai in February 2018 and Guwahati in March this year, the activists say, “It is a very unfortunate state of affairs that students have to repeatedly keep protesting for their legitimate demands…”

A petition condemning the sine die closure has been circulated by the well-wishers of the students. The petition notes, “These are the third round of protests on the question of access and availability of hostel facilities for Dalit and tribal students. It is worrying that instead of engaging with the burning question of diversity and inclusivity in academic spaces, the TISS administration has chosen to shut down the institute. This is despite the fact that the protests were democratic and peaceful in nature.”

The students have demanded that TISS should revoke the sine die order immediately, and take all steps necessary to ensure that students from marginalised communities can avail of hostels and other amenities.  

Statement can be signed here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScXWQrx2c54tZaLqoxw9ujUPycv-AA1iWxIoaaF_kCjSAJyMA/viewform?usp=sf_link
 
 

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The notice said, “Acknowledging the reputation of the Institute, you had applied for the course to pursue higher studies and were admitted after following the due process of administration.” It went on to say that how, before taking admissions, students had access to its “handbook” and the Institute admitted the students after they were found to “comply with the requisite formalities.” The notice said “in spite of the assurances by the institute”, the students started TISS Bandh agitation “demanding waiver in the payment of Dining Hall charges and Hostel fees which are payable on actual basis.” The notice further accused students of indulging in “unlawful activities” alleging that the students obstructed the ‘peaceful movement’ of people and materials within the campus.

In another ridiculous allegations, TISS also accused students of “organising/participating special lectures/ talks/ cultural events at the Main gate which created obstruction…”, “obstructing the normal and peaceful movements inside campus by placing banners and posters on main roads”, obstructing the administration block etc.

Students of TISS have continued their protest for almost three months. In the course of the struggle, several other issues of mismanagement of funds, GoI-PMS scholarships etc. were highlighted by the students. Despite appeals from various democratic and progressive sections, the TISS administration refused to engage in a mature dialogue with the students. The institute has, since, indulged in various diversionary tactics so that the students end their protests. However, realising that the steps suggested by the administration can have grievous consequences for not just the current batches, but also upcoming batches making the university space more exclusionary, the students have continued their peaceful protests, urging authorities to come to the table for talks.
The students are yet to hear from the Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Caste commissions.

The students allege that in this background, the notice is nothing but, “an act of intimidation and aggression against the petitioners who have appealed to the commissions to get justice” The students say that the ‘independent’ committee constituted by the institute is “yet to interact properly” with the students.

The students believe that the said notice goes against the actions of the institute itself since it had constituted the independent committee to investigate the issue. They say that it also goes against the ruling of the Bombay City Civil Court, where the hearing is due on June 19. In its first hearing on March 28, the court had upheld students’ rights to peacefully protest for their demands. It had also advised the institute to resolve matters internally. It had suggested that students were not any long time-activists or outsiders as the institute was trying to portray.

In the statement that they released they pointed out that the administration has also back-tracked from the “Plan of Action” that it offered on March 10. They said that through a notification issued on May 6, the institute backtracked on the promises of revised fees.
The students say that rather than opening dialogue with them or coming up with a sustainable solution, the institute has resorted to intimidating tactics in order to quell their protest. The students from most marginalized sections, SCs, STs, OBCs, NT-DNTs and women are likely to get impacted by this move of the institute.

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Students said, “This is perceived as an act of extreme moral deficit of the TISS administration. Instead of a direct and constructive engagement with the students for addressing their legitimate demands they have resorted to false narratives and intimidation tactics through the interference of police force.”
 
On March 23, 2018 the students started a protest rally at 2 pm. The students undertook the rally to highlight that even after 31 days of protests, there was no concrete dialogues undertaken with the students regarding the demand charter. The students demanded the resignation of the Registrar, the Dean SPO, the Dean Students Affairs and the Section Officer after it became clear that they hid important information from students regarding the OBC NC GOI PMS Maharashtra scholarship. Students reached registrar’s office and waited to meet him. But, even after six hours there was no word from him. At around 9.30 pm, Dr. Parashuraman, TISS ex-director who doesn’t hold any office position anymore, came to dissuade students from protesting and even managed to humiliate the students present there.
 
Meanwhile, some faculty members entered the registrar’s office from the back door and took away some files. Students were later accused of stealing these. Following this, students demanded an immediate meeting with acting director Shalini Bharat and other faculties Prof. Vijat Raghavan, Prof. Shahajahan and the registrar CP Mohan Kumar. Students started blocking the registrar’s office on Saturday, March 24, as even after over a month of continuous protests, the administration was not willing to address the students’ legitimate demands.

 
Students at TISS campuses across Mumbai, Guwahati, Hyderabad and Tulajpur began their strike on February 21, 2018 protesting a roll back of fee exemptions for GOI-PMS scholars. The scholarships were originally designed for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to encourage them to enter academia.
 
In the ensuing days protests have seen lots of twists and turns and upheavals. Right from ex-director Prof. Parashuraman telling students that the institute was doing students a favour by facilitating fee exemptions, to a section of students’ union betraying the protest of students to UGC officials visiting the campus. After the UGC officials visited the campus, an arrear of 11 crores was released to the institute but this will not go towards the fees exemption. Since then students have expanded their demands and asked the institute to make their accounts and deficits transparent. Students are strongly against attempts to privatise the institute.
 
And on Monday March 26 today the administration has shut down the secretariat, hostel offices and blocked wi-fi in a bid to retaliate against the students for blockading the admin bloc. Students express that the administration might also try other harsher moves like shutting down the water and food supply in order to cut down the protests.

However, they have noted, “The students however have gained a higher resolve to continue the peaceful blockade of the admin block until the authorities agrees to an honest and sincere meeting with the student body.”
 
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The BHARIP president addressed the protesting students of TISS along with Rekha Thakur, General Secretary Of BHARIP and said that education is a constitutional right to be guaranteed by the state. But the current and previous governments are acting like it is a family responsibility. Further, he said the fight for educational rights have been going on for long and it is appreciable that TISS students have been fighting not only for their rights but for the future generations also. The issue of scholarship, said Adv. Ambedkar, is such that in colleges in small towns, students have not been paid scholarship and had to discontinue their education. He also added that the fight is against the management and also against the state.

In a Government resolution released 10 days ago, the Maharashtra government said that the state will only fund 30% of OBC scholarship. It was declared that BHARIP will submit petitions to the District Social Justice department regarding the issue and will see that the issue of scholarship is raised in the current session of Vidhan Sabha. Rekha Thakur, General Secretary of BHARIP also spoke in support of the students strike.The students also handed over a memorandum to Adv.Prakash Ambedkar regarding their demands.

Fahad Ahmed, the General Secretary of TISS Students Union said that the students are trying to have a dialogue with the administration, but if the demands are not met then they might be forced to go on a hunger strike to claim their rights. The current fight is for guaranteeing the rights of affirmative action initiated by Babasaheb Ambedkar, he added.

According to a recent update, TISS administration has appointed a Empowerment Committee to address the issue of the students. The committee consists of various senior faculty members as well as SPO Dean Vijay Raghavan. This committee was appointed after repeatedly failed negotiations with the the Acting Director Shalini Bharat. After the formation of this committee, the students have consistently raised questions regarding the “power” that this committee holds. The students have stated that they do not wish to dialogue with the Empowerment Committee and would like to dialogue with the governing body of TISS to address the issue.

So far the demands which have been met are partial in nature, and their is no mechanism the institute has worked on for the upcoming batches. None of the issues put forth by the OBC GoI PMS scholars and upcoming batches have been concretely addressed till date.

Courtesy: Two Circles
 

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SC/ST and OBC students receive aid under the Government of India’s Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme. Without the aid from the institution they would be required to pay in full the fees and mess charges, both of which have also been steeply increased recently. Reimbursement would be made only if and when the central government releases funds to the institution.

Financial aid has been stopped for OBC students since 2015, leading to an approximately 9% drop in admissions from this category.

The behavior of the authorities is completely arbitrary and untenable. The 2016-18 class found aid abruptly withdrawn in 2017. The 2017-19 class found aid withdrawn at the time of admissions. The students union demanded that the illegal decision be immediately revoked. Further they demanded that TISS continue to make timely provision for aid as otherwise SC/ST and OBC students would be unable to bear the financial burden of paying full fees.

TISS authorities initially ignored the demand but four days into the boycott action students were even denied the breakfast which had been prepared for them.

The vindictive reaction of the authorities to protests against the decision to deny financial aid to students who have a constitutional right towards affirmative action is an alarming indication of the speed with which the current central and state governments are privatizing higher education. It is most unfortunate that authorities and administrators at educational institutions are not resisting such actions but falling into line with them at the expense of corrective measures to promote social justice.

Higher education has been chronically starved of funds and pushed towards marketization over the past 25 years under pressure from the World Bank and then by the central government’s refusal to pull-out of the ill-conceived commitment made in 2005 to offer Higher Education as a ‘tradeable service’  for regulation by the World Trade Organization- General Agreement on Trade in Services (WTO-GATS). However, since 2014 decisions taken by the central and state governments are,
 

• Slashing educational budgets, introducing a 30%-70% division of market contribution and government grants for higher education, and aggressively forcing institutions of higher education to resort to fee hikes, to replace scholarships/ grants with loans, and resort to privatization, commercialization and marketization of the entire higher education sector;
• Denying the majority of young people in the relevant age group (i.e. 18 – 24 years) from gaining access to higher education. The report of the National Sample Survey (NSS) 2014, shows as many as 44.81 million Indian students are too poor to pursue higher education. The private expenditure per student on education for general courses has increased by 175.8%, and that for technical/professional and vocational courses has almost doubled from the 2007-08 NSS report to the 2014 NSS report;
• Targeting, with clear Manuvadi intention, SC/ST and OBC students whose access to higher education is already less than 10% as more than 90% cannot complete Class XII due to privatization policies that have led to dismantling of the state-funded school system.

The special rapporteur of the United Nation’s Human Rights Council on the right to education had clearly stated in a June 2015 report that “privatization negatively affects the right to education both as an entitlement and as empowerment” and “breeds exclusion and marginalization, with crippling effects on the fundamental principle of equality of opportunity in education.”

The latest decision of the central government accepting the UGC’s new formula for implementing SC/ST and OBC reservations in teaching posts, by calculating on a department-wise basis instead of on total posts in the university/ college, makes it clear that the TISS withholding of scholarship funds for SC/ST and OBC students is part of a strategy to significantly reduce the presence of these sections in higher education.

With SC faculty at a mere 7.22% and ST at only 2.2% of total faculty in India’s 716 universities and 38,056 colleges, it was expected that appointments to the currently 35% vacant faculty positions would play a major role in correcting this negative trend.

However, the new formula will significantly reduce representation of SC/ST and OBC faculty in all future recruitment drives. (Indian Express, 2 March 2018) AIFRTE strongly condemns these negative policy decisions which deny the SC/ST and OBC citizens their right to equality and social justice.

The government’s present strategy violates the Constitutional commitment to affirmative action and social justice. AIFRTE is forced to reach the unavoidable conclusion that this is calculated policy and is aimed at undoing even the limited attempts made earlier to prevent higher educational institutions from shutting their doors to those discriminated against on the basis of caste, creed, gender, tribal, and disability conditions.

AIFRTE therefore demands,
 

• That financial aid be immediately secured and provided to all SC/ST and OBC students at TISS;
• That scholarships be provided (without introducing discriminatory eligibility conditions such as NET) and enhanced for all students who are unable to afford the fees;
• That fees be strictly regulated in all higher educational institutions by including students union and faculty association representatives in all appropriate bodies so that no arbitrary decisions are implemented;
• That the Central Government immediately rejects the UGC’s `new’ formula. SC/ST and OBC reservation in faculty should continue to be calculated on the basis of the university/college taken as a whole.

—
*AIFRTE spokesperson
 

The post TISS cutback of scholarship funds for SC-ST-OBC students aimed at reducing their presence in higher education appeared first on SabrangIndia.

By Daisy Katta, TwoCircles.net

Amidst rumours that the ‘Chalo TISS’ call was not given by the Students Union, Fahad Ahmad, General Secretary-TISS Students Union-clarified, “The Students Union is just an Executive Body and the final decision-making ability lies only with the General Body. Some members of the Students’ Union have gone against the constitution of TISS SU and violated it by not considering the General Body decision before giving out a false statement to the administration and the media about calling off the strike. As the General Secretary of the Student Union at TISS, I would like to clarify that the strike will go on unless all our demands are addressed by the TISS administration. According to the Article 1 of the TISS constitution its states, every final decision concerning the students lies with the General Body.”

Even as the TISS strike entered Day 13, the TISS administration has not come out with any concrete and sustainable solution to resolve the GOI PMS issue, despite the students time and again brought in to the administration notice the high number of dropouts which the institute has witnessed since 2015, when the fee waiver was rolled back.

Meanwhile, the student protests are still going strong. Different students groups in the institute including the Johar-Adivasi Students Forum, The North East Students Group, OBC students Forum, TISS Queer Collective, and Ambedkarite Students TISS have come up with strong statements in condemnation of the unilateral decision taken by few Union members saying that they will back off from the strike without consulting the General Body. The statements have also retaliated that the strike will continue till all demands, raised for the current and upcoming SC, ST OBC students are met of all the campuses.

The ‘Chalo TISS’ call also saw TISS Alumni coming in solidarity with the protesting students as they collected more than 800 signatures, from Alumni to a strongly worded letter to the administration asking for a continuation of fee waiver. Additionally, students from Mumbai University, IIT Bombay and IIPS have also lent their support.

Courtesy: Two Circles
 

The post ‘Chalo TISS’ earns solidarity from across India over scholarship protests; strike enters day 14 appeared first on SabrangIndia.

 
Responding to a call given by its students’ union, over 500 students blocked the main gate protesting the rollback of financial aid to SC, ST and OBC students (including religious and other minorities). The blockade at the main gate continued on Thursday, as the administration had on Wednesday asked for a 24-hour time period in order to respond to students’ demands. The students feel that this could be the tactic of the administration to delay any commitments on their part and take the steam off the struggle which is currently seething with the outrage of the students on an extremely anti-students move.

 
Archana Soreng, TISS students’ union president elaborated on the need for the protest saying, “The first method we adopted was that of negotiations with the administration and we have been in a constant state of dialogue for past one month. But now we are at the end of the semester and suddenly we are intimated that the financial aid will be stopped for the students. We are left with no option but to protest this move.” As per a press release issued by the Union, students from across Hyderabad, Guwahati and Tuljapur campuses have also joined the protests.

The students who were earlier eligible for the Government of India Post-Matric Scholarship (GoI-PMS) will be most impacted by the decision of the institute to rollback financial aid for students. This exemption was in line with the institute’s policy to facilitate the entry and sustenance of students from marginalized background into spaces of higher education, since it boasts of values of social justice and its expertise in training students for social work and empowerment.

“I took admission in the 2016-2018 batch and before that there was no such notification about a hike. Even the UGC guidelines say that the entire fees structure has to be explained in the prospectus of the institute so that students can apply with the knowledge of the fees structure. Here we are witnessing a situation in which the students came to know only at the final stage of admission process that they will not be able to get the financial aid or otherwise, in the middle of their courses. How is that fair,” questioned Archana who has been at the forefront of the protests since yesterday.
 
Oddly enough, a statement issued by TISS registrar, callously shrugs off all responsibility on TISS’s part as a University, and appears to transfer the blame to the Government of India. It reads:
“The Government of India Post Matric Scholarship is paid by the Social Welfare Department/Tribal Welfare Department of the respective state government on receipt of an application submitted by the student. The institute plays no role in the scholarship disbursement process, except certifying it. These scholarships are transferred directly to the bank accounts of students. The institute has not stopped the facility. TISS is following all the guidelines of the Government of India.”

 
Over the past many years, there has been a slow rollback of all forms of financial aid to students, accompanied by drastic measures such as exponential increase in fees, introduction of surveillance, biometric data collection for attendance and other administrative purposes as well as a host of other unpopular moves.

Highlighting the contradictions in the values and actions of the premier institute, Archana said, “The institute’s moves go against the ethos of social justice. Why can’t the institute come up with a proposal for students from marginalized backgrounds and update it on their website? Currently nothing is mentioned about the institute’s erratic moves on fee structure and hikes as well as rollback of aid.”

Currently, the average fees of TISS amounts to an exorbitant sum of Rs. 70,000-80,000 per semester. While on the one hand the institute cites curtailing in fund allocation a reason for rollback of such aid, it is not hard to notice the expansion it is making in its logistics, wherein several new centers have been opened up recently. An estimated number of more than 500 students will be impacted by this specific move. The enrolment of students from OBC category already saw a drop of 9%, as per the claims of students’ union.
 
The atrocious fees amounts charged by TISS are not at par with any of the other Central university fees such as JNU, EFLU, HCU etc. The institute has tried to defend the high fees that it charges by calling itself a Premier Institute. It also compares itself with other elite institutions such as IITs and IIMs, though their exclusivity is well known.
 
“Though the immediate issue for us is fighting the fee rise, this is definitely part of a larger policy measure in which institutions of higher education are rapidly being privatised. If an institute becomes an A grade institute, and has a fees structure of Rs. 9 lakh how can one imagine that students will be able to afford this. Even the faculties are bound to be impacted by this kind of privatisation,” asks Soreng.

In a statement released on February 21, the concerned alumni of TISS alleged, “These actions will result in complete absence of students from oppressed communities to participate in higher education in TISS, as the financial aid and GoI-PMS cannot match the fees. Also, with the introduction of Direct Bank Transfer of scholarship, the institute has washed its hands off any responsibility of providing fee exemption arguing that the scholarship is an individual transaction between the student and the government.”
 
Drawing attention to the anti-students’ nature of the current dispensation, Shefali Saini, a student of MPhil at TISS said, “The government is completely against the students from marginalized sections. It has been anti-students from the time it came into power. The current regime wants the hegemonization of knowledge in only a few hands, namely those from the upper caste, class privileged people and they want to completely disregard the historic struggles of disenfranchised communities to enter the spaces of higher education. In last few years the specific targeting of Muslims, Dalits, Adivasis and others has been evident. Hence I feel that such moves of the government should be resisted across campuses.”
 
Apart from demanding a retract of the notification for present GOI-PMS students to pay for fees (tuition, DH and Hostel), the charter of demands also includes demands for exemptions from DH and Hostel Fees for the students of BA MA integrated programme and a symbolic representation of the Office of Dean SPO from SC ST OBC category. Students have also sought disclosure of quantum of losses by TISS due to payment of scholarships, year-wise details of funding from UGC and other relevant expenditures such as on dining and hostel facilities.

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