New Delhi: Delhi University ’s Centre for Distance and Online Education (CDOE) has discharged an assistant professor with immediate effect following a nearly two-year inquiry into allegedly objectionable content in political science study material prepared and reviewed by him.
The proceedings began in July 2024, when School of Open Learning (SOL), later renamed CDOE, issued memoranda over discrepancies in the materials. Ravikiran’s probation was extended by a year in Feb 2025 over unsatisfactory performance. He said he had to prepare entire textbooks within month-long deadlines while handling 16 teaching hours a week and preparing over 800 multiple-choice questions per course. He said he had sought peer review of Understanding Ambedkar in June 2024 and was not given an opportunity to revise the material before punitive action was proposed. Delhi University Teachers’ Association, in a letter dated Oct 31 to CDOE director Ajay Jaiswal, termed the discharge procedurally unfair and sought its withdrawal and Ravikiran’s reinstatement.
In Understanding Ambedkar, the committee objected to discussions outside the prescribed syllabus, extensive references to beef consumption and selective references to Manusmriti and Apastamba Dharmasutra in the context of untouchability. An external review recommended rewriting Understanding Ambedkar. Ravikiran contested the findings in a five-page representation, alleging procedural lapses and inadequate institutional support.
On Tuesday, it called a university-wide shutdown.