The Allahabad high court has stayed further proceedings in a writ petition regarding caste discrimination allegations at Dr Rajendra Prasad National Law University, Prayagraj, questioning a single judge’s order directing an inquiry by judicial officers.
The bench comprising Justice Siddhartha Varma and Justice Kunal Ravi Singh observed prima facie that allegations should be examined by the University’s internal Equal Opportunity Cell rather than judicial officers. The single judge had observed that allegations were serious and required examination by an impartial agency, without expressing an opinion upon their correctness. Challenging the single judge order, the HoD filed the Special Appeal.
In its order dated September 23, passed in Special Appeal filed by Dr Deepak Sharma, the division bench observed that when an Equal Opportunity Cell was available in the University and petitioners had prayed for an inquiry through that cell after excluding the appellant, there was no occasion for an inquiry by judicial officers. The court directed that if the inquiry report of the judicial officers, which was directed by the single bench for submission on September 24, was prepared, it be placed before the court in a sealed cover on September 29, 2026, when the appeal will be listed again. On September 16, 2026, the single judge after hearing the petition filed by the student, asked Archana Singh-I, Judge, Small Cause Court, Prayagraj, and Arun Kumar Yadav, Special Chief Judicial Magistrate, Prayagraj, to conduct an inquiry and submit a report.
There was no need for inquiry by judicial officers when an Equal Opportunity Cell exists, according to the appellant.
