DU set to confer honorary doctorate on Sri Lankan PM, Hindu College alumna

A notice issued on September 8 by the Registrar of Delhi University has called for a meeting of the Academic Council on Thursday to consider a letter from the Ministry of External Affairs

Dr Harini Amarasuriya

Delhi University (DU) is preparing to confer an honorary doctorate on Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, Dr Harini Amarasuriya, a Hindu College alumna during her upcoming visit to India in mid-October, as per official documents reviewed by The Indian Express.

A notice issued on September 8 by the Registrar of Delhi University has called for a meeting of the Academic Council on Thursday to consider a letter from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The letter requested that DU organize a special convocation in coordination with Hindu College.

The agenda of the meeting is to make plans to confer an honorary doctorate on Dr. Amarasuriya “under the provisions of Statute 16 of the Statutes of the University” during her visit.

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“…the forthcoming visit to India of the Prime minister…is expected to be in India around 17-18 October 2025” said a letter by the MEA addressed to the Ministry of Education.

The letter highlights Dr. Amarasuriya’s academic ties to Delhi, noting that she completed her undergraduate degree in Sociology from Hindu College between 1991 and 1994, on an MEA-sponsored scholarship

Amarasuriya’s alma mater will now host her in a special ceremony. Hindu College Principal Anju Srivastava told The Indian Express that both the university and the college had received official communication with regards to the special convocation. Srivastava added that “there are plans of conferring the honorary doctorate in mid-October. The Prime Minister pursued sociology from Hindu College between 1991–1994.”

The documents also state that the Prime Minister’s Office has already been consulted and has given its go-ahead for the ceremony. The MEA has also asked DU to share a brief for the proposed event.

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