Terming it a disturbing example of intolerance and violation of an individual’s freedom of expression, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has pulled up the administration of Maharishi Dayanand University (MDU) in Rohtak for suspension of an associate professor over a Facebook post in which he is alleged to have criticised the university. Justice Rajiv Narian Raina, while staying the suspension order of MDU’s Ashwani Kumar Dhingra, said the court would consider saddling the university with exemplary costs for violating Dhingra’s freedom of expression. “This case is a disturbing example of intolerance of the authorities in the University to smother debate on Facebook between the petitioner and persons in the social group. A cursory glance of the posts on Facebook, it is argued, prima facie, do not constitute misconduct to invite suspension and chargesheet. The issue is of freedom of speech which the University should represent, and not to stifle bona fide comment on matters concerning the University,” the order passed by the bench on Tuesday reads. The court has also restrained the university from issuing any chargesheet to Dhingra without its permission and issued a notice to the state government, MDU Vice Chancellor Professor Bijender Kumar Punia and the Registrar of the University for a written statement on the action. Dhingra was suspended on March 31.
