Full Breakdown
Allahabad High Court Stays Judicial Probe into Caste-Discrimination Allegations at NLU Prayagraj
By Drooid · · How we work
Background of the Complaint
A fifth-semester BA LLB (Hons.) student at Dr Rajendra Prasad National Law University (NLU) in Prayagraj filed a grievance on August 20 with the university’s vice-chancellor, alleging that the head of the law department—who also serves as warden of the boys’ hostel—subjected him to caste-based humiliation and harsher grading.
Single-Bench Order and Judicial Inquiry
On September 16, a single judge of the Allahabad High Court ordered a two-member committee of judicial officers to investigate the allegations and to assess whether students from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes faced discrimination at the university. The order also directed the vice-chancellor to set up an independent review of the student’s answer sheets and to file an affidavit confirming the existence of an Equal Opportunity Cell in accordance with University Grants Commission regulations.
Division-Bench Rationale for Staying the Probe
A division bench comprising Justices Siddhartha Varma and Kunal Ravi Singh is scheduled to consider a special appeal on September 23. The bench indicated that, because NLU already has an Equal Opportunity Cell and the complainant initially sought redress through that mechanism, there is prima facie no need for a judicial-officer inquiry. The judges emphasized that the university’s internal body should be allowed to examine the complaint, even if the allegations are serious, as this falls within the institution’s domain of student welfare.
Current Procedural Status and Next Steps
The report from the judicial officers’ committee was slated for submission on September 24. The division bench directed that the special appeal be re-filed as a fresh case on September 29. If the inquiry report has already been prepared, the court ordered that it be placed before the bench in a sealed cover for consideration at the next hearing.
Key Dates Summary
- August 20 – Student’s written complaint to the vice-chancellor (occurred).
- September 16 – Single-bench order appointing a judicial inquiry (occurred).
- September 23 – Division bench scheduled to hear the appeal (scheduled).
- September 24 – Deadline for the judicial inquiry report (scheduled).
- September 29 – Date for filing the fresh special appeal (occurred).