Allahabad HC sets aside suspension of BHU professor

PRAYAGRAJ: The Allahabad High Court has set aside the suspension of professor Shail Kumar Chaube, Department of Zoology, Banaras Hindu University (BHU). The order was passed by Justice CD Singh, who disposed of the petition filed by professor Chaube while directing the university to place the entire material regarding the suspension of the petitioner before its Executive Council within two weeks from the date of production of a certified copy of the order.

"Thereafter, the Executive Council is directed to pass appropriate and reasoned order after giving opportunity of hearing to the petitioner, expeditiously," the court said. During the course of hearing, the petitioner's counsel argued that the division bench of the high court had earlier set aside the compulsory retirement of the petitioner, after which he was suspended by the university.

Ajeet Kumar Singh, senior counsel appearing for the university, submitted that the Executive Council has already been constituted and the entire matter will be placed before it for taking a fresh decision.

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The petitioner's counsel requested that the writ petition may be disposed of with the direction that the entire matter may be referred to the Executive Council, who pass an order taking into consideration the observation made by the the division bench of the court in the Special Appeal of 2024 (Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi and four others vs Shail Kumar Chaube) expeditiously.

The court said, "Taking into consideration of above-said discussions and observations made in foregoing paragraphs, the impugned order dated June 26, 2025 passed by Registrar of the University with the approval of Vice Chancellor is set aside to the extent to the suspension of the petitioner."

The professor is alleged to have made "undignified" remarks targeting the students. Later, an inquiry was conducted against the professor by the internal complaint committee of the BHU in December 2018, following which disciplinary actions were taken against him. The order dated September 16 was made public on September 24.