Shocking Revelations at GNLU: Gujarat High Court Demands Action

The Gujarat High Court has expressed shock over the disturbing findings of a fact-finding committee report on incidents of rape, molestation, discrimination, homophobia, and favoritism at Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), Gandhinagar. The committee, led by former High Court judge Justice Harsha Devani, submitted the report after investigating allegations of sexual harassment and homophobia at GNLU.

Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha Mayee slammed the GNLU administration for denying any wrongdoing, stating, "This report is terrifying. It is scary." The court lauded the committee for its categorical findings, emphasizing the gravity of incidents, including a lack of an Internal Complaints Committee.

The court questioned how such incidents could occur at a national law university and criticized the GNLU Registrar's earlier denial of allegations. Chief Justice Agarwal remarked, "How will these people protect the children?" The court highlighted the difficulty students faced in speaking about the incidents, prompting the committee to provide a questionnaire for responses.

The report revealed the names of the accused, stating that a politically influential person was involved in suppressing the case before the police. The court trusted the students, stating, "How can we expect the students to be stating something wrong and why would they do it?"

Calling for a high-level inquiry into GNLU's affairs, the court asked Advocate General Kamal Trivedi to suggest an authority to act on the report. Chief Justice Agarwal expressed concern for the students, saying, "If this is the state of affairs in a law college, then we cannot show our faces to anyone."

The court emphasized the need for action on the report by a competent body and scheduled the next hearing for March 12.

Author: Anushka Taraniya

News Writer, MIT ADT University