A Dalit PhD scholar at the School of Computer and Systems Sciences (SC&SS) at Jawaharlal Nehru University has been struggling to submit his thesis for evaluation for the past six weeks.

The student, who requested not to be identified, has completed his research and got the thesis checked for plagiarism. On December 29, he was permitted by the research advisory committee to submit the thesis for evaluation. However, the SC&SS is not holding a meeting of the special committee, which is supposed to forward the thesis via the administration to the examiners for evaluation.

The student’s guide, Prof Rajeev Kumar, has written to dean Zahid Raza, who heads the special committee, to expedite the process so that the thesis can be sent to the examiners. Kumar had written to vice-chancellor Shantishree D. Pandit also but to no avail.

Kumar told The Telegraph that the student was being harassed because he dared to challenge the SC&SS’s decision to change his supervisor midway. In February 2022, the dean issued an order asking two of Kumar’s scholars to change their guide midway through their course to avoid any problems arising out of Kumar’s retirement in March 2024.

The Dalit scholar approached the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and Delhi High Court to challenge the order. The court stayed the SC&SS’s decision and allowed him to continue.

The student has completed his research work before the usual three years meant for an integrated MPhil-PhD course.

Last month, Kumar had submitted a list with the names of examiners to whom the thesis might be sent. The special committee usually decides on these matters before the beginning of a semester. However, the committee has not held its meeting so far even though the new semester has started from January 9.

“The Dalit student is being harassed because he challenged the order of the school to change his guide. The school administration is putting up all hurdles so that the thesis is not completed before my retirement,” Kumar said.

An SC&SS official said the supervisors of research scholars usually submitted the names of examiners well in advance before the completion of the thesis. Kumar did it very late.

“The special committee is the top panel of the school having external members. The supervisors send the names in advance, about six months to one year before submission of the thesis. But the names of the examiners came late. We have asked other faculty members to send the names of examiners for their students too. The meeting may be held within a week. There is no question of discriminating against anybody on the basis of caste,” the official said.