NLSIU Defends Its Action Against Students Over Handling Of Sexual Harassment

The National Law School of India University (NLSIU) has responded to an open letter written by its alumni, questioning the action taken against two student facilitators, who had spoken openly about a sexual harassment case. The reputed institute, in its statement released on Thursday night, defended its decision it taking disciplinary action against two female students and claimed that it has strict zero tolerance policy on sexual harassment.
The alumni of NLSIU, in an open letter shared on June 22, had slammed the institute for punishing two girl students who raised voice against sexual harassment on Thursday. The alumni appreciated the courage of the students for choosing not to apologise and instead cough up the fine as directed by NLSIU in connection with the incident. The case being referred to is from April this year. A Bengaluru woman, in a series of tweets, accused a law student at NLSIU of “sexually, mentally and physically” harassing her.
NLSIU in its statement said that the alumni open letter misrepresents the action taken by the university against students as a failure to take sexual harassment seriously.
The institute said that the student facilitators received correspondence from a person outside the university. 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. This was a violation of code.
The institute stated, “NLSIU has never prevented its students from discussing issues of sexual harassment. However, to use NLSIU digital resources to publicly name someone in a matter that would be prejudicial to that person’s reputation is not conducive.” The University has also assured that all avenues of complaint and redressal remain open. The statement stated that the student facilitators failed to adhere to the ‘NLSIU’s Principles of Conduct, 2002’ and ‘NLSIU’s IT Policies.