IIT-Gandhinagar student made to leave courtroom over attire by Gujarat High Court

Gujarat High Court judge asked a student of Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar (IIT-Gn), to leave the courtroom over what the court considered was improper attire, while hearing her petition challenging a semester-long suspension for alleged indiscipline, as per reports.

She was reportedly wearing jeans and a shirt for the hearing on her plea, against the suspension imposed by the institute over alleged rude behaviour with staff and use of language considered threatening. In that suspension order, IIT-Gn reportedly described her conduct as “unbecoming of an IIT-Gn student”, as per reports.

When the student’s counsel tried to defend her attire, and Justice Nirzar Desai reportedly said that everyone has a choice and can exercise it, but it depends upon the place which she is visiting, adding that this was for the first time in her life something like this happened, but at the same time, if someone is coming to court, he or she must be in proper attire.

As per reports, this student, who is in the final semester of an MA in social development, initially argued through her counsel that the suspension stemmed from an exchange with an accounts officer over what she considered inadequate grant support for fieldwork and the way she communicated her protest.

According to her lawyer, the institute’s view of her behaviour had also been influenced by an earlier incident in which she was removed from the hostel for allegedly staying in the boys' hostel, adding that since then, she has been living off campus.

Seeking the court’s intervention to allow the student to complete her course, her counsel stated that a fresh apology would be submitted to the institute, which had earlier observed that her previous apology lacked genuine remorse, as per reports.

Following the hearing, the court issued a notice to IIT-Gn for formal communication.

The case is now scheduled for further hearing on Wednesday.