Insaaf Times Desk
The Allahabad High Court has declared the dismissal of a female employee of Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida, illegal and ordered her immediate reinstatement. The court observed that the disciplinary action taken by the university administration was “motivated by bias and malice.”
The petitioner, Meena Singh, had filed a complaint of sexual harassment against the then Acting Registrar, S.N. Tiwari. Soon after the complaint was lodged, the university administration initiated disciplinary proceedings against her and eventually dismissed her on December 14, 2024.
A bench headed by Justice Manju Rani Chauhan, in a verdict delivered on Friday, quashed the dismissal order and directed the university to immediately reinstate Meena Singh as Staff Officer to the Vice-Chancellor. This was the fourth dismissal of the employee, all of which the court found to be unlawful.
The court noted: “This is a clear case of unnecessary harassment of the petitioner. All proceedings were initiated only after she filed a complaint against the Registrar. The sequence of events indicates that the university administration acted with a deliberate and vindictive intent to target and harass her.”
Experts say the ruling is a significant step for women’s empowerment and workplace safety, sending a strong message that retaliatory action against employees for raising complaints is legally unacceptable.
The judgment not only delivers justice to Meena Singh but also serves as a warning to the university administration and other institutions that malicious and retaliatory actions will not be tolerated.
