On allegations of sexual harassment, queerphobia : Hold confidence-building exercises, teach inclusiveness to students, HC tells GNLU

She further said, “There’s one suggestion – of creating these kinds of sessions by newly constituted ICC (internal complaint committee)… sessions to build confidence among students and addressing all those issues which are generally coming up in this age group among the students. Since they are law students, they should be taught about the concept of inclusiveness in the society because they’re the flag bearers of this concept of inclusiveness…And law students should be such who can raise voice against anyone, they should not be having any kind of fear. Like in NUJS (The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences), students are managing the entire college and they can raise their voice against the director. Anything happens, they can sit on dharna. They (GNLU students) should be given this kind of atmosphere….and if law students are not taught about this concept (of inclusiveness), then who else? If they are not aware of this concept at this age, they will carry their own prejudices and biases and we will be getting judges from them. Judicial officers of state in the decision making process, they will carry their prejudices and biases, I’m worried about that.”

Advocate General Kamal Trivedi, representing the varsity, concurred. “Dissent should be respected, dissent should be invited, should be discussed and something more remunerative should come out,” he said.

Meanwhile, the court was informed by the Advocate General that the internal complaint committee has now been freshly constituted, and that the GNLU — in collaboration with the Gender Resource Centre of the Department of Women and Child Development of the state government — conducted a series of sensitisation programmes in February and March separately for each batch of students and faculty, staff housekeeping and security staff and such sessions will be undertaken regularly.

The court was also informed that a high-level review committee formed to assess the past five-year performance of the university “in the field of academics, administration, finance as well as the safety, security aspect of students”, has undergone a change, replacing retired Supreme Court judge Justice Indu Malhotra with retired SC judge Justice Indira Banerjee after the former conveyed her unavailability owing to personal reasons. Earlier this month, the varsity informed the court that it had decided to constitute a high-level review committee, comprising former Supreme Court judge Justice Indu Malhotra, Attorney General of India R Venkataramani and M M Srivastava, former additional chief secretary (Finance) of the state government. Meanwhile, the court inquired on Monday if the varsity had initiated an inquiry against the Registrar General of the university after the court observed that the Registrar was attempting “in an over anxious effort to hush hush the whole matter in a summary way”. Responding in the negative, the Advocate General said that he can see to it that he apologises to the court at the earliest, and will file an affidavit to that effect.