IIT-K May Revoke Thesis of Prof Who Had Flagged Caste-based Discrimination

Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur may revoke the Ph.D thesis of Dalit teacher Subrahmanyam Saderla, who had complained about the discriminatory treatment from four senior professors last year. The latest move by senate committee – the highest decision-making committee on academic affairs comprising all faculty members of the institute – comes days after the Academic Ethics Cell found no significant reason to revoke the thesis and recommended rewriting of a few paras.

Saderla had made it to news last year when he had complained that he was meted out with discriminatory treatment from four senior professors: Ishan Sharma, Sanjay Mittal, Rajeev Shekhar and Chandra Shekhar Upadhyay from the institute. He had alleged that they were fanning misinformation and were raising questions on his credentials.

In his complaint, Saderla had alleged that the accused professors not only passed casteist remarks about him, but also questioned his mental fitness to be an assistant professor at the “prestigious” institute. The complaint added that he was continuously ridiculed and humiliated at the conferences organised by the department.

The recommendations of the senate are likely to be placed before the Board of Governors for further action soon. The complaint about plagiarism in Saderla's Ph.D thesis was made to several professors and officials in an anonymous email on October 15 last year, months after an inquiry committee headed by a retired Allahabad High Court Judge found allegations levelled by Saderla to be true. Following inquiry, Mittal, Sekhar and Upadhyay were demoted, whereas Sharma was given a strict warning.

Also read: IIT Kanpur Case Tip of the Iceberg: Dalits Missing from Campus in Absence Support System

If the Board of Governors give nod to the recommendation, Saderla may also lose his job.

He has completed his B.Tech from the Institute of Aeronautical Engineering affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in Hyderabad. He later enrolled in IIT Kanpur to complete his M.Tech and Ph.D. Following allegations of plagiarism, IIT director Abhay Karandikar had referred the matter to Academic Ethics Cell which found that complaint was prima facie correct.

The committee noted that while there was no complaint regarding original research work, there were some similarities in the introductory passages of some chapters. The committee, in its report, found that it was not proper to revoke the thesis, but Saderla should rewrite the passages in question and tender an apology to the institute director. However, the senate, in its meeting, on March 14 voted to revoke the thesis.

Talking to Newsclick, Saderla claimed that he did not copy any literature from other people's work. He said," There was some similarity in the introductory literature and I had shown my work to my seniors who had said that my work was entirely different from theirs. Secondly, I have eight publications to my credit in international journals related to my thesis only. Can journals publish them if they carried any plagiarism? I have got national fellowships from South Korean Universities which in turn are also related to my thesis. Had they not evaluated it before granting me such fellowships?"

He added, "The senate has relied on an anonymous complaint. Why did not complainant come to testify his claims. It's a serious charge. I repeat that the latest proceedings are connected with my complaint regarding four professors. I was the sole SC candidate who was selected through a special recruitment drive and that's why I am being targetted."

Despite repeated attempts, IIT Director could not be reached for his comment.

Also read: IIT Kanpur Case Sheds Light on Discrimination Faced by Dalit Professors and Students in IITs