“Due to non-submission of sufficient records and witness statements, the charge levelled against the delinquent officer has not been found proved,” the order states. (Credit: FB)
The Madhya Pradesh government has closed a departmental inquiry against Dr Inamur Rahman, former in-charge principal of Government New Law College in Indore, concluding that allegations of promoting religious extremism and administrative negligence could not be proved due to insufficient evidence.
The Higher Education Department’s order, issued December 8, brings an end to a three-year ordeal that began with accusations by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in December 2022 and left Dr Rahman suspended until his retirement in May 2024.
The ABVP had filed a complaint on December 1, 2022, alleging that the college had become a site of religious fanaticism, faculty members were biased and that students were being misled against government policies. The allegations triggered an immediate inquiry by the Commissioner of Higher Education.
An inquiry committee’s preliminary report dated December 7, 2022, made strong observations against Dr Rahman, accusing him of negligence in maintaining a harmonious academic environment and recommending disciplinary action. Within two days, on December 9, 2022, the Higher Education Department suspended him.
A formal charge-sheet followed on January 30, 2023, specifically accusing Dr Rahman of failing to maintain social harmony and take action against indiscipline among teaching staff. After his written defense was deemed unsatisfactory, the government ordered a full departmental inquiry on May 11, 2023.
The inquiry officer, appointed from the Regional Additional Director’s office in Ujjain, submitted the final report on March 25, 2025, nearly 10 months after Dr Rahman had retired. According to the government order, the inquiry concluded that “statements of witnesses and adequate documentary evidence were not produced during the proceedings”.
“Due to non-submission of sufficient records and witness statements, the charge levelled against the delinquent officer has not been found proved,” the order states.
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The closure order also noted that a parallel criminal case registered at Bhanwarkuan police station under IPC sections 153-A (promoting enmity between groups) and 295-A (outraging religious feelings) had already been quashed by the Supreme Court on May 14, 2024, following Dr Rahman’s petition.
The government has now ordered that Dr Rahman’s suspension period spanning from December 9, 2022, until his retirement on May 31, 2024 be treated as duty for all purposes, regularising his service record.
Dr Rahman expressed that the vindication, while welcome, came too late. “By the time I got justice I was already retired. This cannot compensate for the immense mental anguish I have suffered after being suspended on baseless allegations,” he said.
Rahman had told The Indian Express that he spent his life teaching students and was “never involved in any communal thought”.
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Rahman had been the principal of the Government Law College in Dewas for seven years and the Chairman and Dean in the Department of Law at Ujjain’s Vikram University and Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya in Indore for over a decade.
Before Rahman was booked by the police, protests had rocked the college in December 2022 after members of the ABVP alleged that the college administration was condoning religious fundamentalist thoughts being promoted by some Muslim teachers. Rahman had recommended a probe led by a retired district court judge and removed the accused professors from academic work for five days, until the investigation was concluded.
He has now expressed sadness over taking action against the teachers who he claimed had a “clean record”.
Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the bureau’s coverage of Madhya Pradesh. With a career spanning over eight years, he has established himself as a trusted voice at the intersection of law, internal security, and public policy.
Based in Bhopal, Anand is widely recognized for his authoritative reporting on Maoist insurgency in Central India. In late 2025, he provided exclusive, ground-level coverage of the historic surrender of the final Maoist cadres in Madhya Pradesh, detailing the backchannel negotiations and the "vacuum of command" that led to the state being declared Maoist-free.
Expertise and Reporting Beats
Anand’s investigative work is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, holding institutions accountable through deep-dive analysis of several key sectors:
National Security & Counter-Insurgency: He is a primary chronicler of the decline of Naxalism in the Central Indian corridor, documenting the tactical shifts of security forces and the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres.
Judiciary & Legal Accountability: Drawing on over four years of experience covering Delhi’s trial courts and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Anand deconstructs complex legal rulings. He has exposed critical institutional lapses, including custodial safety violations and the misuse of the National Security Act (NSA).
Wildlife Conservation (Project Cheetah): Anand is a leading reporter on Project Cheetah at Kuno National Park. He has provided extensive coverage of the biological and administrative hurdles of rewilding Namibian and South African cheetahs, as well as high-profile cases of wildlife trafficking.
Public Health & Social Safety: His recent investigative work has uncovered systemic negligence in public services, such as contaminated blood transfusions causing HIV infections in thalassemia patients and the human cost of the fertilizer crisis affecting rural farmers.
Professional Background
Tenure: Joined The Indian Express in 2017.
Locations: Transitioned from the high-pressure Delhi City beat (covering courts, police, and labor issues) to his current role as a regional lead in Madhya Pradesh.
Notable Investigations: * Exposed the "digital arrest" scams targeting entrepreneurs.
Investigated the Bandhavgarh elephant deaths and the impact of kodo millet fungus on local wildlife.
Documented the transition of power and welfare schemes (like Ladli Behna) in Madhya Pradesh governance.
Digital & Professional Presence
Author Profile: Anand Mohan J at Indian Express
Twitter handle: @mohanreports ... Read More
