Sexual harassment case: NLSIU clarifies on disciplinary action against student facilitators

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Following an open letter by 200 alumni of National Law School of India University (NLSIU) Bengaluru condemning the disciplinary action against student facilitators for reporting a sexual harassment case, the university has now issued a clarification that the action was the result of the facilitators bypassing the university’s mechanism for dealing with sexual harassment cases.
The university also assured that all avenues of complaint and redressal remain open. In a statement issued Thursday, the university stated that the facilitators failed to adhere to the ‘NLSIU’s Principles of Conduct, 2002,’ and ‘NLSIU’s IT Policies.’
The case in question dates back to April this year when a Bengaluru girl, in a series of tweets, accused a law student at NLSIU of “sexually, mentally and physically” harassing her. The university, in its letter, observed that “the students received a correspondence, in their capacity as facilitators, from a person outside the University who alleged she was sexually harassed by an NLSIU student. The correspondence does not indicate that the alleged harassment occurred on the NLSIU campus.”
It also added that the facilitators then circulated an anonymous statement on behalf of the complainant, detailing the alleged abuse, naming the accused student and disclosing sensitive personal information. The statement was circulated via broadcast email to the student body of NLSIU, and a social media handle operated by the Student Bar Association, the university’s statement said.
The Disciplinary Matters Advisory Review and Investigation Committee (DARIC) of the university later conducted an inquiry and found that the “facilitators were inconsistent with the principle of fairness, the right to privacy, and failed to maintain the confidentiality of the parties involved in the case”. The statement by the university also cites the NLSIU’s Principles of Conduct 2002 which states that: “Given that these proceedings involve young people and recognizing the need for the protection of their reputation, the proceedings under these procedures shall be treated as strictly confidential and shall not be divulged by any faculty or staff member or any of the parties to anyone not involved in the inquiry process.”
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