Parotta master-turned scholar gets relief from High Court

A research scholar at the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University who had turned a ‘parotta master’ to make ends meet, has finally gotten some relief. 

The Madras High Court has come to his rescue by staying the University order, which stalled him from attending regular research and other related activities citing a criminal case against him. 

Justice D Hariparanthaman held that the FIR filed against the research scholar seemed suspicious and since both the suspension order and the show-cause notice were solely based on the FIR, they both are liable to be stayed. 

Trouble began for Mohammed Khan, a senior research fellow in the Department of Criminology-History after he raised some questions concerning the University through the RTI Act. The scholar also led a protest against harassment levelled by a student on a teaching staff Vinoth V Rajesh. 

Following this, a criminal complaint was filed against him at the Pettai police by Asst Prof Dr Jai Shankar from the Department of Criminology. He had alleged that on Sep 1, 2015 while he was with other Assistant Professors, the scholar had barged into the staffroom and threatened him. 

The Pettai police also through a letter on Sep 27, 2015 acknowledged the FIR registration through a letter to the University. Based on this letter, the varsity issued a show cause notice to Mohammed and also suspended him.