While concluding a significant chapter in the ongoing saga surrounding alleged incidents of sexual harassment and queerphobia at the Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), the Gujarat High Court last week disposed of the suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) pertaining to rape allegations by a second-year law student against her batchmate.

The division bench comprising Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha Mayee, disposed of PIL after the registrar of GNLU, Jagadeesh Chandra TG, tendered an unconditional apology to the Gujarat High Court for initially denying incidents of sexual harassment in an affidavit filed in October 2023.

The registrar acknowledged the gravity of the situation and expressed regret for his previous stance, stating that his intention was to defend the university sincerely. He pledged to be more diligent and cautious in the future.

The Chief Justice inquired about the other position held by the registrar. The Attorney General responded that he also holds the post of an assistant professor.

The Chief Justice then asked for how long the Registrar had been absent from the university. The Attorney General replied, “since long back.”

“That is a situation of mismanagement. When there was no Registrar, what was the Director doing? Nobody took care of this matter?” the Chief Justice remarked.

The Attorney General explained, “At the behest of the General Council a request was made and on both occasions, advertisements were issued but only one applicant had come and second time nobody had come.”

The CJ asserted that the current acting registrar, who is also an assistant professor, should not be permanently appointed as registrar.

“He may never be given charge of Registrar because he is not fit to be a Registrar. He may be fit to be a professor. Every person cannot do administrative duties. Many people are not fit for that,” the court stated. 

Furthermore, the GNLU director submitted an affidavit assuring the court that measures would be taken to restore students' confidence and ensure their safety on campus.

During the hearing, the court raised concerns about the registrar's conduct and the composition of GNLU's internal complaints committee (ICC). It suggested including more male members in the ICC and implementing mechanisms for anonymous complaints.

Additionally, the court recommended placing complaint boxes on campus to protect the identities of complainants.

Furthermore, the court conveyed its intention to integrate recommendations into its ruling to enhance the safety of GNLU students, and stated that it will be passing a detailed order with suggestions to make the campus safer.