Bombay High Court asks State to probe allegations of casteism, sexual harassment at ILS Pune

A Registrar (Judicial) of the Bombay High Court recently asked the Maharashtra government to look into allegations of institutional casteism, hooliganism, favouritism, sexual harassment and ragging made by students of ILS Law College, Pune.."It is requested that the grievance/complaint of the applicant may be looked into appropriately in accordance with law. It would be appreciated if the appellant could be informed about the action taken in the matter at an early date," a communication addressed to the State's Directorate of Higher Education reads..The communication was sent on the basis of a letter earlier addressed by the students to Bombay High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay highlighting these issues faced by students and the persistent inaction of the college administration..Over 118 college students and alumni endorsed the letter, highlighting that approaching the judiciary was a last resort after having previously sought recourse from higher authorities despite which the college administration behaved indifferently. “Some students escalated their concerns to higher authorities. For example, in a sexual harassment case, a student sought assistance from the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, leading to a police complaint and media coverage in the Pune Mirror. Similarly, in a case of ragging, the involvement of the police and the University Grants Commission (UGC) was necessary when the college authorities refused to take action. However, after the appointment of an inquiry officer by the college, it was found that the officer lacked jurisdiction. Consequently, the student had to appeal to the Vice-Chancellor of Savitribai Phule Pune University, to which ILS Law College is affiliated. Despite these efforts, the college authorities have remained indifferent and failed to address the students' grievances. Therefore, we are approaching the judiciary as a last resort,” the letter reads..The letter alleges that Brahmin students at ILS get preferential treatment for appointments to various college bodies.“We are troubled by instances of favoritism among certain faculty members, where Brahmin students appear to receive preferential treatment. Non-Brahmin students, despite their merit, often encounter indifference and even hostility for trivial reasons...This trend is observable in appointments to bodies such as the Moot Court Society and the Anti-Ragging Committee, where the last two appointees have both been Marathi Brahmins...Among students, there's a jest that possessing a Brahmin surname increases one's likelihood of being appointed to one of these bodies...".The letter also points out the indifference of the college administration in dealing with a student who was booked for stalking and criminal intimidation of a woman student at the law school. It also shines light on the ‘blatant misogyny’ by professors against vocal female students, “...Over 15 female students filed a complaint against an individual, yet the college failed to take appropriate action…The culture of misogyny also extends to the bodies of students where multiple women, queer, and transgender students across alumni batches have been body-shamed and cloth shamed by Professors, in front of classrooms, other staff members, and the public at large within the institution….”.The seven-page letter enumerates several instances of ragging and hooliganism; abuses being hurled loudly; tube lights, liquor bottles and heavy firecrackers being thrown at watchmen; and washroom mirrors being brokem..In light of this state of affairs on campus, the letter put forth the following demands:1. An independent inquiry committee to investigate claims; effective functioning of grievances redressal bodies for sexual harassment, ragging and caste discrimination. 2. Codified “diversity and inclusion policy‟ for ensuring effective representation of all religious, caste and gender minorities at the law college.3. Misogynist dress code should be repealed immediately.4. Sensitisation of students, teaching and non-teaching staff around issues of caste-based and ethnic discrimination, gender discrimination, religious discrimination, sexual harassment and ragging. 5. An officially recognized student body, based on free and fair elections and effective representation of all marginalised communities.6. Appointment criteria for various cells and other bodies should be codified and strictly followed.7. Effective redressal mechanism for addressing misconduct by any faculty members and other non-teaching staff..[Read Letter]