The University of Delhi has cancelled the PhD registration of a scholar accused of physically assaulting and misbehaving with a senior professor in August and barred him from entering the campus for three years, according to an official order.
The disciplinary action against Shubham Singh, a PhD scholar at the Faculty of Law, followed an inquiry into the alleged assault on Professor Anupam Jha of Law Centre-II on August 17, the order issued by Proctor Manoj Kumar Singh on Friday stated.
The incident allegedly took place around 10.30 am at the entrance gate of Umang Bhawan on the North Campus. The university has also barred Singh from seeking admission to, or appearing in, any examination conducted by the university or its colleges for three years.
According to the order, Singh was initially suspended from his PhD course on August 17, the day the incident was reported, and barred from entering campus. An independent enquiry committee was subsequently constituted to investigate the allegations.
The committee examined Jha’s complaint, CCTV footage, documentary records, a medico-legal case report, and a written statement furnished by the Dean of the Faculty of Law, and issued the order.
The committee also allowed Singh to present his version of events. It contacted him through email on August 31 and again on September 1. Singh replied to the second, allegedly using abusive and derogatory language, the order said.
On September 9, the committee submitted its report, noting that the university should follow a zero-tolerance approach to aggression, violence and other forms of misconduct.
It said the incident should be viewed in the context of Singh’s earlier disciplinary violations and not as an isolated occurrence.
The committee noted that Jha had no direct academic supervisory relationship with Singh and found no apparent background that could justify the alleged misconduct.
It also condemned the use of vulgar and inappropriate language towards committee members, including a female professor.
Before taking a final decision, the university shared the committee’s report and recommendations with Singh on September 29, giving him seven days to submit his representation.
The university gave Singh three more days by email on October 6. However, he sent no response.