Gujarat High Court Quashes IIM Ahmedabad’s Decision to Expel Three PhD Scholars

IIM Ahmedabad had maintained that it acted as per DPM manual provisions; however, High Court disagreed and declared the expulsion and related orders ineffective.

Gujarat High Court has set aside decision of Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) to expel three first-year PhD scholars, ruling that institute’s action was not in accordance with its own doctoral programme guidelines.

Background of the Case

Three doctoral researchers, Abhilasha Kumar, Atul Gupta, and Uthara P K were asked in May to explain why their candidature should not be terminated for failing to meet required academic standards in their first year. They were given only 24 hours to respond before an executive committee ordered their expulsion. Their subsequent appeal was dismissed by IIM-A director without a personal hearing.

Court’s Ruling

Justice Nikhil Kariel of Gujarat High Court held that institute’s action violated Doctoral Programme in Management (DPM) manual, which clearly provides for an additional year to improve academic performance before considering termination. High Court found that IIMA’s procedure was not followed correctly and that expulsion orders were therefore void ab initio (invalid from outset).

DPM manual allows students a chance to improve academic performance with an extra year if standards are not met within first two years.

Gujarat HC in its order noted that failure to meet first-year academic thresholds alone does not justify immediate expulsion without following prescribed remedial steps. It also highlighted lack of due process as students were not granted adequate time or a proper hearing.

As per reports, one of the students received a poor performance rating partly because an assignment contained misleading references attributed to artificial intelligence tools, but lawyers for scholars argued that a hearing should have been granted before issuing such a serious sanction.

IIM Ahmedabad had maintained that it acted as per DPM manual provisions; however, High Court disagreed and declared the expulsion and related orders ineffective.