Caught in a six-year-old case of plagiarism, former Vice Chancellor of Delhi University Deepak Pental on Tuesday spent a few hours in Tihar Jail before the Delhi High Court stayed the magisterial court’s arrest warrant. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vinod Kumar Gautam ordered Pental’s arrest on a complaint filed by Prof Pardha Saradhi.
While Pental was taken into custody around 12.45 pm, his advocate Arvind Nigam moved the High Court immediately after which his arrest was stayed. The matter came up for hearing before Justice
S Muralidhar of the Delhi High Court, who stayed the magisterial court’s arrest warrant, saying till pendency of the petition before him, the trial court order is “suspended”.
In his complaint, Saradhi accused Pental and a student of “stealing” his entire research material from his laboratory to use for a study that Pental was doing. As per Saradhi’s allegations, Pental had the material stolen through the student who has earlier worked with him while he was in Jamia Millia Islamia. The student, who is currently overseas, was also summoned by the court.
According to Saradhi, between 1995 and 1999 when he was a professor in Jamia he was doing research on genetically modified plants with the student. He said, “After the research was over, the student started working with Pental. However, between 2001 and 2004 the student came and lifted my genetically modified material, paper work, research from my laboratory. He stole a seed of genetically modified mustard. It was only in 2004 that I realised that most of my material was stolen and used in Pental’s study. The study was completely plagiarised. At that time, Pental was director, South Campus and I got all the evidence and went up to him to have the matter
sorted.”
However, Saradhi said that instead of helping him, Pental was harassing him. “He began harassing me because I asked him for some action and to return my credit. But since he didn’t listen and instead started to demean me, I went to court. When the investigations started, Pental was the Vice Chancellor and most of the matter was kept suppressed,” said Saradhi.
Meanwhile, the High Court directed the officials concerned to produce the trial court’s order on December 15. The High Court also said, “This order will remain in force till pending of the petition.”
The court directed the Registrar General of the High Court to communicate the order immediately through fax and telephone to Tihar Jail authorities concerned. It also said that on next date of hearing the file related to the case be produced before it.
The High Court’s direction came on a plea moved by senior advocate Arvind Nigam, representing Pental, alleging that the trial court passed a wrong order and he was illegally taken into custody and sent to Tihar.