Jamia Millia Islamia bars PhD scholar over academic disturbances

Jamia Millia Islamia has barred a PhD scholar from entering the campus for the remainder of his doctoral programme. The action comes after a disciplinary probe found him guilty of repeatedly disturbing academic activities, including “unnecessarily organising” a march on the anniversary of the Batla House encounter.

The order, issued on November 20 by the university’s Chief Proctor, states that scholar Saurabh Tripathi, who is also associated with the AISA student group, has been declared “out of bounds for all purposes”. The ban comes after the university’s discipline committee examined three separate incidents involving Tripathi this year. According to the order, he was earlier accused of causing a disturbance during semester examinations on May 7, disrupting the “peaceful academic on August 13, and organising a protest march on September 19 to commemorate the 17th anniversary of the 2008 Batla House encounter despite warnings issued by the administration. The committee reviewed CCTV footage and written statements before concluding that Tripathi had violated campus discipline on multiple occasions. However, while the panel found him “guilty”, it stopped short of recommending rustication.

The order notes that “valuable resources of the nation and significant efforts of the university are invested in him” as a research scholar of a central university. Taking what it described as a “lenient view”, the committee opted instead for a strict campus ban.

Tripathi is allowed to enter only the Proctor’s Office, and only with a prior appointment. The order further instructs him to submit a good conduct bond within 10 days. Any fresh violation, it warns, will lead to an “immediate withdrawal of permission and/ or cancellation of PhD admission”, effectively threatening expulsion if there is any further breach.

The disciplinary action has triggered strong criticism from the All-India Students’ Association, which called the decision “a targeted campus ban”. In a statement, AISA argued that the events mentioned by the administration were “peaceful protests” and accused the University of punishing Tripathi while taking no steps against the “real culprit”, referring to the chief security advisor whom the group has previously accused of mishandling campus security.

The organisation alleged that the ban was an attack on students’ right to dissent. Tripathi said he would challenge the order legally. “This is an injustice with a PhD scholar. I will go to court against this,” he said.

AISA leaders said they would continue supporting him, claiming that the university was silencing political activism by misusing disciplinary mechanisms. The September 19 protest, one of the three events cited in the disciplinary order, had led to the detention of several students. The demonstration, organised on the 17th anniversary of the Batla House encounter, reiterated

AISA’s longstanding demand for a judicial inquiry into the 2008 incident in which two suspected militants and a Delhi Police inspector were killed. Jamia Nagar, where the encounter took place, has remained a politically sensitive space for students and residents, and the anniversary often sees renewed calls for transparency.

University officials, however, maintain that the ban is strictly a disciplinary measure intended to safeguard academic functioning and security on campus. They have not commented on AISA’s allegations but reiterated in internal notes that repeated disruptions cannot be allowed.

For now, Tripathi remains barred from attending classes, meeting peers or accessing any part of the university. His continuation in the PhD program will depend entirely on adherence to the conduct bond and the absence of any further confrontation with university authorities.