The Allahabad High Court orders the immediate reinstatement of Meena Singh after repeated terminations following her sexual harassment complaint against the university registrar, highlighting misuse of power and victimisation.
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UTTAR PRADESH: In a landmark judgment, the Allahabad High Court has ordered the reinstatement of Meena Singh, private secretary to the Vice Chancellor of Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida, whose services were repeatedly terminated after she lodged a sexual harassment complaint against the university registrar.
Justice Manju Rani Chauhan quashed the termination order dated December 14, 2024, issued by the registrar and directed the university to reinstate Singh as staff officer to the Vice Chancellor.
The court expressed astonishment at the university administration’s actions, noting that the registrar, against whom the harassment complaint was made, remained in service, while the complainant faced repeated dismissals.
“This is a clear case of unnecessary harassment of the petitioner as all proceedings against her were initiated only after she lodged a complaint against the registrar,”
Justice Chauhan observed.
Meena Singh had earlier challenged her dismissal, which was set aside and remanded by the court. Despite this, she was terminated more than four times, highlighting a pattern of vindictive action by the university authorities.
The High Court ruled that the grounds cited for her dismissal were baseless. One allegation claimed that Singh had relied on a fake PhD degree to secure her position. However, the court noted that there were no rules or guidelines requiring preference for a higher degree for the post, and the claim was therefore untenable.
“The initiation of proceedings against the petitioner on such untenable grounds reflects a clear abuse of process and smacks of mala fides,”
the order stated.
The court termed the repeated termination of Meena Singh as an arbitrary exercise of power and emphasized that such actions were not guided by bona fide considerations but intended to victimize her.
In a decisive ruling, the court directed the university and the registrar to immediately allow Singh to resume her duties without further delay.
Appearance:
Petitioner: Aishwarya Pratap Shahi, Nipun Singh
Respondent: Ashish Kumar Singh, Ashutosh Mishra, C.S.C.
Case Title:
Smt. Meena Singh Versus State of U.P. And 3 Others
WRIT – A No. – 3471 of 2025
Read Order:
