Jamia Millia Islamia’s has cancelled the admission of scholar and activist Safoora Zargar, who was arrested in a 2020 CAA riots case. The varsity’s department of sociology cancelled her admission claiming “unsatisfactory” progress in her thesis work. The 29-year-old was accused in the Delhi riots and booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Zargar has been enrolled in Jamia’s sociology department’s integrated MPhil and PhD programme from 2019. She claims that the college is keeping her from turning in her thesis. The reason behind this, according to the university administration, is because she did not finish writing her dissertation by the time her third extension ran out on February 6.
During a meeting on July 5, Safoora Zargar submitted her dissertation, however, the university called her submission “unsatisfactory”. The RAC in its meeting, made a thorough assessment of scholar’s work progress and considered her personal circumstances and the pandemic situation. “The RAC also heard Safoora Zargar’s explanations and reviewed her dissertation work at length. The RAC came to the conclusion that contrary to Safoora Zargar’s claims, the dissertation work was unsatisfactory and far from complete,” said JMI.
Zargar has called this an attempt to “disrupt her education”. Speaking to the media she said that since December 2021, she has been forced to chase after extensions that are readily granted to other university scholars. She claimed that while UGC can given five straight extensions, she was only given one.
She also claimed that she was compelled to request for an extension under the women scholars category, but after several months she was rejected with the reason being “unsatisfactory progress.” The scholar also alleged that her emails to the Registrar and VC have not received a response. “This clearly violates the UGC’s principles and exposes the Supervisor and the department’s ulterior motives,” she said.
“Safoora Zargar was provisionally admitted to MPhil/PhD programme (2018-19) on February 7, 2019 (governed by JMI ordinance 9 (IX) dated October, 13 2017. As per this ordinance, MPhil is a three-semester course, but scholar may get two extensions of one semester each as 4th and 5th semesters respectively. JMI has “provided extensions of six months from the date of expiry of regular maximum prescribed period as per Ordinance 9 (academic) of JMI for submission of thesis for terminal MPhil/PhD students in view of COVID-19 pandemic,” Jamia added.
The university informed that there are provisions for woman scholars to apply for maternity/ child care leave once in the entire duration of up to 240 days, or one-year extension as a woman scholar that the VC can give on the recommendation of the RAC and DRC.
“In case of Safoora Zargar, during her third semester, she was she was in police custody for two days w.e.f. April 13 to April, 15 2020. And then she was in judicial custody for 70 days. On June 24, 2020, she was released on bail during the third semester itself. The department’s faculty has been very considerate of her circumstances. On a request from her lawyer, the supervisor sent reading material to her through her lawyer even in the jail. She was given exemptions from time to time on humanitarian grounds, for example, the department allowed her to present and submit her synopsis on August, 10 2020, after the 3rd semester was over.”
Stating that the activist was given consideration and was given Covid extensions, JMI said, “Safoora’s terminal semester five came to an end on August, 6 2021. The sixth semester was provided to her as COVID extension of six months, yet, she did not submit her dissertation by Feb,6 2022.”
The university also claimed that they had earlier asked the student to apply for extension, for which she applied late. The university stated, “In the third semester, it was suggested to Safoora Zargar to avail the maternity leave but she chose not to do so. Later, in view of her circumstances, she was verbally advised to avail childcare leave by the HoD but she declined to do so and assured the RAC that she would complete her work on time. During and even after the expiry of her COVID extension (sixth semester), she was advised to apply for extension as a woman scholar so that she may complete her work and submit it. But she did not pay heed to the advice of the supervisor and the RAC and did not file her application for extension as a woman scholar in the stipulated maximum period.”
It further added, “Safoora was informed on April, 8 2022 via email, that RAC was going ahead with the cancellation of her admission. Safoora Zargar’s application for extension as a woman scholar was eventually received on April, 13 2022, more than two months after the expiry of the maximum stipulated time period.”
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