NLSIU Bangalore professor Dr V Nagaraj, the teacher who was accused by third-year students of criticising a female student for wearing shorts to a lecture and making inappropriate comments, said that contrary to two press reports citing anonymous students and an NLSIU student source quoted anonymously by Legally India yesterday, he had not apologised to the students.
He wrote to Legally India today via email:
I strongly deny the news reported in legallyindia.com today that according to one of the unidentified students, I have apologized for what has happened and asked the students to keep it to themselves and not to reveal it to media.
It is gross misrepresentation on the part of the student who reported. It is for the Vice-Chancellor as head of the institution to take appropriate action as he deems fit.
I would also like to add that I have informed the Vice-Chancellor that I will not be teaching the batch of students in question. As a Professor, keeping in mind the decorum of the institution and myself, I do not want to involve myself in such media trial.
When asked whether it was maybe a misunderstanding on the part of students about whether he had expressed “regret”, rather than apologised, Nagaraj responded:
In order to avoid doubts, it is hereby clarified that “no regrets was expressed nor apology”. Further as to how the problem was resolved is an institutional matter.
He requested that any further questions on the matter be addressed directly to vice chancellor Venkata Rao, who had circulated a press release yesterday requesting the media from reporting the matter any further since the issue had now been “amicably resolved” between professor and students.
Comments
2. Regardless of the existence of any rules, it seems the professor in question made comments that can justify an FIR or Complaint for outraging the modesty of a woman. I would like to see if he maintains this arrogant tone and tenor if he is dragged to court.
3. Again, I have no issue with a dress code, but a professor has no locus to sit on judgment in the absence of rules that allow him to do so. He should keep his personal views to himself and focus on his job. If he has an issue with students' dressing, he has to report it to the VC and request that a "dress code" be framed.
I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt to the student right now, in that they probably heard something like an apology, but with this strong a denial it does cast light on the accuracy of our earlier report.
We've reached out to other NLS students but haven't had much luck so far. If anyone wants to speak to us about what really happened, please do reach out.
The students have been left with no choice. They are being gagged. Please understand that institutional pressure means their future is jeopardised if they publicly call Nagaraj out [...].
As someone very familiar with what has happened, I can say that [...] and that it was the students who pushed to have him removed from teaching their class.
However, you will not get another public students out of these kids who have been bullied into submission. [...]
I hope perhaps that something can be done to show how the system has coalesced around protecting this man. It is truly pathetic.
If some third years want to talk to us, we'll do so in utter and complete confidentiality, and there's no way that the admin would ever find out (nor has ever found out on any of our law school stories ever, to the best of my knowledge).
If students keep quiet, then we'd have to assume that Nagaraj's account is accurate.
Highly unethical reporting here. You can probably learn from Bar and Bench.
(Will you publish this?)
We are not quite that strict, since we often work with sources whom we have long time working relationships with and know to be authoritative, but generally on more controversial stories we try to follow the two sources rule.
In short, if 10 NLS students anonymously all have the same accounts, then it becomes pretty compelling.
Their underhanded action in attempting to report details of a settlement is condemnable.