The Student Juridical Association of the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS), Kolkata has written to Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, urging him to address a sexual harassment complaint lodged by a faculty member against Vice-Chancellor Prof. NK Chakrabarti.
This letter follows a recent Calcutta High Court directive that instructed the local complaints committee to reconsider the complaint made by an Associate Professor against the VC. The local committee had initially dismissed the complaint on the basis of limitation. However, Justice Kaushik Chanda highlighted that,
“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 association strongly criticized the Vice-Chancellor’s alleged attempts to bypass legal procedures, stating,
“We strongly condemn the presumption of falseness regarding the Associate Professor’s complaints and the Vice Chancellor’s deliberate attempts to circumvent the appropriate legal procedures by abusing his position of power. These alleged actions constitute blatant patriarchal exploitation and an attempt to undermine the Associate Professor’s respect and dignity at her workplace.”
The letter points out the failure to adhere to the NUJS Policy on Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual Harassment, 2016, and the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (PoSH Act), and sets forth several demands:
- Immediate steps to protect the faculty member from further victimization or harassment from any university staff, coupled with a thorough, unbiased investigation into the allegations against the Vice Chancellor.
- Immediate suspension of the Vice Chancellor, preventing him from performing any duties until cleared of the charges.
- Assurance that the VC will not influence the proceedings against him and will recuse himself from any Executive Council (EC) meetings discussing this matter, including setting aside the EC’s discouragement of the faculty member from seeking recourse by approaching the Chancellor.
- Dismissal of the retaliatory fact-finding committee created by the VC against the teacher.
- Denial of any extensions for the VC to remain in office.
The letter concludes with a plea for urgent intervention,
“We humbly pray to your Hon’ble Lordship to take note of the allegations of sexual harassment and institutional marginalization and our just demands, which aim 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 faculty member has alleged that she experienced sexual harassment and misconduct by the Vice-Chancellor on multiple occasions between September 2019 and December 2023. She also claimed she faced delays in salary, denial of promotions, and professional threats after resisting the VC’s advances.
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