Punjab and Haryana High Court Orders IIT Ropar to Reinstate PhD Scholar, Says Resignation Was Not Voluntary

IIT Ropar, Punjab and Haryana High Court, PhD scholar, faculty harassment, higher education, and court order are in focus after the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar to immediately reinstate a PhD Chemistry scholar, holding that her resignation was not voluntary and observing that the institute appeared to have acted in undue haste to remove her from the programme.

The case concerns Fatima Maqsood, who approached the High Court after her resignation from the PhD programme was accepted on November 22, 2025, a day after she submitted a complaint alleging harassment by eight faculty members. In her complaint to the institute's Director, she alleged that despite earlier warnings issued by the administration, the harassment had continued.

According to the court order, Maqsood submitted her resignation citing continued harassment that had caused distress to both her and her 67-year-old father. The resignation was processed and accepted on the same day, with recommendations from her supervisor, approval from the Head of Department and acceptance by the Registrar.

Hearing her petition, Justice Kuldeep Tiwari questioned the institute on whether any disciplinary proceedings or misconduct notices had ever been initiated against the scholar. The institute's counsel acknowledged that no such notice had been issued and that no disciplinary action had been contemplated.

The High Court noted that IIT Ropar continued to oppose Maqsood's reinstatement even after she filed an affidavit undertaking not to make further complaints against anyone at the institute and to focus on completing her doctoral research. The court observed that the institute's continued resistance reflected an apparent unwillingness to allow her to resume her studies.

Rejecting arguments related to Maqsood's subsequent enrolment at another research institution, the court held that those developments had no bearing on the legality of the resignation accepted in November 2025.

Relying on previous judgments of the Supreme Court and the Allahabad High Court concerning resignations made under compelling circumstances, Justice Tiwari ruled that Maqsood's resignation could not be considered voluntary. The court set aside the resignation order and directed IIT Ropar to allow her to rejoin the PhD Chemistry programme immediately.

The court also advised the institute's Director to facilitate a supportive environment for the scholar to complete her research, while clarifying that IIT Ropar would remain free to initiate disciplinary action if she violated the undertaking submitted before the court.