GNLU General Council meets, discusses report on ‘sexual harassment, queerphobia’

GNLU Director Prof S. Shanthakumar, who is also part of the council, told The Indian Express that he was not part of the council when the specific agenda pertaining to the discussion over the fact-finding committee’s report was taken up. “I was not part of the meeting when this agenda was taken up. In fact, no one from the university was there. Fourteen members of the GC were there. No one joined virtually.”

The report, submitted to the court on February 22 in sealed covers, followed the High Court’s directives to look into the allegations at GNLU. The panel report had highlighted student submissions that “a politically influential person has been involved in suppressing the case before the police”. It also mentioned that that there were suppression of incidents of molestation, rape, discrimination and homophobia, and the lack of existence of an internal complaint committee at the varsity.

A source aware of the discussion that took place in the meeting, meanwhile, said the GC accepted the recommendations made in the report and decided that the same will be implemented along with “additional steps”. The source added that the GC will file a report before the High Court by the next date of hearing scheduled for April 4.

The High Court had taken suo motu cognisance of newspaper reports in September 2023 of GNLU students posting on Instagram about the alleged incidents of sexual harassment and discrimination.

Meanwhile, Justice Trivedi presided over the 14th convocation, while Attorney-General of India, R. Venkataramani, delivered the convocation address where 252 students were conferred degrees and 20 students were awarded 34 gold medals. Venkataramani, too, is part of the GC.

Venkataramani’s convocation address focused on “discovering freedom of expression”. He highlighted that freedom of expression is the “natural and necessary emanation of the capacity to think and urge to communicate”, the latter being important to “both individuals and a good social order that ensures equal regard for all people”.

Noting that the communication space has become wide and open with social media, Venkataramani said, “It appears we have reached a stage of only freedom and not responsibility. All arguments in favour of responsibility are put down on the ground that the state has no business to control thought. We forget that we are already controlled in the hands of freedom of expression.”

He went on to add that social media, which is the new public square, is a “challenge to our genius.” “It is not state or government, but acts as if it is an untamed master… the question that will engage in times to come will be how do we, as individuals, manage our freedom of our mind and thoughts… our pursuit of truths without being slaves to external manipulations by technology,” he went on to add.

He also said that while the Supreme Court upheld defamation under IPC section 499 in the case of Dr Subramanian Swamy versus Union of India, and that the essence of the defamation law is to ensure that people act responsibly in making statements concerning others, “we, however, see both irresponsible speech and motivated revengeful engagement in criminal prosecutions”.