The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) to provide information on the progress of the investigation into the alleged death by suicide of Ph.D student Sachin Kumar Jain here on March 31, 2023.
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The direction was given in a petition filed by Ishan Mata under Section 6 of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, calling for copies of the complaints against the supervisor/mentor/guide of the deceased student received by the institute from the family/friends/students concerned. The petitioner also wanted a copy of the order constituting a fact-finding/investigation committee, details of all other records (statements of witnesses, response of the accused faculty member, action taken subsequent to the submission of the committee’s report etc.,).
After IIT-M refused to part with information, the CIC ruled that the matter involved “elements of public interest” and directed the Chief Public Information Officer (CPIO) to share the updated information on the progress/status of the investigation. Information Commissioner Anandi Ramalingam also directed the authorities to give a copy of the report of the fact-finding/investigation/inquiry committee after the process was completed.
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Denied of the information he sought, Mr. Ishan Mata had first appealed before the First Appellate Authority saying the response of the CPIO was “incomplete, false, and misleading”. He moved the commission after the FAA upheld the reply given by the CPIO. The appellant submitted that he had sought information on various aspects of an investigation into the alleged harassment leading to the suicide of the PhD scholar at IIT-M.
‘Mental health issues’
He expressed concern about the prevalence of harassment by supervisors in India, particularly citing the case of Sachin Kumar Jai, who tragically passed away, allegedly by suicide. Referring to national and international studies on harassment and mental health issues among Ph.D scholars, he emphasised the need for transparency and accountability in academic institutions.
Mr. Ishan Mata said such studies underscored the public interest in disclosing the requested information to address systemic issues in academia and urged the commission to direct the CPIO to disclose the information or, if parts were exempt, to provide the non-exempt portions in accordance with Section 10 of the RTI Act.
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Defending IIT-M’s decision, the CPIO said the information pertained to a “sensitive matter” regarding which an investigation was still pending, and hence, the requested information could not be provided at this stage. However, the CPIO acknowledged that an internal inquiry committee had been constituted, and most of the recommendations and action taken reports were available in the public domain.
‘Elements of public interest’
After examining the facts and circumstances of the case and hearing both sides, the CIC observed that the matter involved elements of public interest and directed the CPIO to provide updated information, as regards a copy of the office order by which the committee was constituted and the progress/status of the investigation done by the committee so far, to the appellant.
While giving the final investigation report, the CPIO was told to use the severability clause to redact all third party and personal information. The information called for should be shared in accordance with the spirit of transparency and accountability as enshrined in the RTI Act, 2005, the commission said.
After Sachin Kumar Jain’s death, his brother Bhavesh Jain wrote to the IIT-M Director alleging that his brother was under “undue pressure” from his Ph.D guide Ashish Kumar Sen. A five-member inquiry committee was constituted and based on its findings the management had suspended Mr. Sen, who was a professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416. and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)