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Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 9:59:04 pm

Legal Weapon

The death of Sahil Wakode at IIT Bombay is undoubtedly a tragic incident. It also raises a difficult question that should not be lost amid the understandable anger on campus: when does a genuine allegation of caste discrimination become a criminal charge, and what happens when the extraordinary force of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is invoked before the facts have been established? Wakode, a second-year student, died by suicide last week, hours after he was caught using a mobile...

Legal Weapon

The death of Sahil Wakode at IIT Bombay is undoubtedly a tragic incident. It also raises a difficult question that should not be lost amid the understandable anger on campus: when does a genuine allegation of caste discrimination become a criminal charge, and what happens when the extraordinary force of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is invoked before the facts have been established? Wakode, a second-year student, died by suicide last week, hours after he was caught using a mobile phone during an examination. IIT Bombay says he had uploaded the question paper to ChatGPT, but that no disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against him. He was counselled and assured that the incident would not damage his academic career. His parents have subsequently alleged that Wakode had been subjected to caste-based harassment for several months and named Professor Suryanarayana Doolla in an FIR alleging abetment to suicide, along with provisions of the SC/ST Act. The institute has denied that any complaint of caste discrimination was made by Wakode during his tenure. Its SC/ST cell has also said it received no such complaint. The investigation has now been transferred to the Crime Branch. The SC/ST Act exists because caste oppression is real, and victims require a law capable of confronting it. But precisely because the law is stringent, its invocation cannot become a substitute for evidence. The Supreme Court has repeatedly emphasised that the statutory ingredients of an offence must actually be made out. The court has also held that where a complaint does not prima facie disclose an offence under the Act, its stringent restrictions on pre-arrest bail do not automatically apply. Teachers must be able to enforce examination rules without fearing that every disciplinary confrontation could acquire a caste dimension. The tendency to turn a student’s caste into the explanation for every institutional conflict involving an SC/ST student is disturbing and must be resisted. If every disciplinary action involving a reserved-category student is presumed to be caste discrimination, the distinction between discrimination and ordinary institutional accountability begins to disappear. Equally, an institute cannot hide behind procedure if evidence eventually establishes discrimination or harassment. If Professor Doolla did indeed use casteist language, threatened Wakode or treated him differently because of his caste, those allegations must be investigated fully and dealt with under the law. But the answer cannot be to criminalise the invigilator first and investigate later. IIT Bombay now has two obligations: establish, without prejudice, what happened in those crucial hours and examine the broader pressures facing its students. The police must establish whether the allegations under the SC/ST Act have factual and legal substance. The institute must ensure that teachers can enforce academic integrity while students have credible avenues to report genuine discrimination. The tragedy demands accountability. It does not demand a predetermined culprit.

All-party delegation in Malaysia briefs Parliamentary Special committee on Pahalgam terror attack, seeks cooperation in counter-terrorism efforts

Agency
Jun 3, 2025
2 min read


Kuala Lumpur: An All-Party Parliamentary Delegation from India, led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, met with the Parliamentary Special Committee on International Relations and International Trade in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, according to a statement by the High Commission of India in Malaysia.



The High Commission said the discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in the global fight against terrorism.



In a post on X, it said, "All-Party Parliamentary Delegation, headed by Hon'ble MP Mr. Sanjay Kumar Jha, met with Parliamentary Special Committee on International Relations and International Trade, chaired by YB Wong Chen, Hon'ble Member of Parliament and Chairman of Parliamentary Special committee on International relations and International Trade, and briefed about the heinous terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and India's zero tolerance policy towards terrorism. Discussions focussed on ways to cooperate in the collective fight against terrorism."



The Indian delegation also met the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Malaysian Parliament (Dewan Rakyat), YB Tan Sri Dato' Johari bin Abdul, on the same day, the statement by the High Commission of India in Malaysia added.



According to the High Commission, the Speaker reaffirmed Malaysia's commitment to peace and thanked the Indian delegation for briefing him on India's approach to countering terrorism.



In a post on X, it said, "All-Party Parliamentary Delegation, led by Hon'ble MP Mr. Sanjay Kumar Jha, met with Hon'ble Speaker of the House of Representatives, Parliament of Malaysia (Dewan Rakyat), H.E. YB Tan Sri Dato' (Dr.) Johari bin Abdul and briefed on India's unwavering policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism, and sought the cooperation of Parliamentarians of Malaysia in our collective fight against terrorism. Hon'ble Speaker of Malaysia reaffirmed Malaysia's commitment to peace, and thanked the All-Party Parliamentary Delegation for the briefing on India's approach in dealing with terrorism at large."


The Indian delegation includes BJP MPs Aparajita Sarangi, Brij Lal, Pradan Baruah, Hemang Joshi; TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee; CPI-M's John Brittas; and Congress leader Salman Khurshid, among others. Their visit is part of a multi-nation tour to brief international partners on India's counter-terrorism efforts and promote regional cooperation.



The delegation's tour includes stops in Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore, underscoring India's commitment to regional peace, security, and development.

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