‘Breach of contract’: Indian student at Oxford University takes legal action; alleges racial bias over PhD rejection

Oxford (United Kingdom), August 31 (ANI): An Indian student enrolled at UK's Oxford University has accused the prestigious varsity of racial bias, harassment and injustice. Lakshmi Balakrishnan who hails from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, said that she has "initiated legal action" because she has "not received justice from the appeals and complaints mechanism" instituted by the university.

As per her claims she had joined Oxford university in October 2018 to pursue a PhD on Shakespeare in the English faculty.

"In November 2021 during an internal assessment process known as confirmation of status in the fourth year of my studies my assessors at Oxford failed me by reasoning in the assessment report that Shakespeare does not have the scope for doctoral level studies," Balakrishnan said.

She alleges that this constitutes a "breach of contract" by the university.

"It is actually a breach of contract because when I applied to Oxford I clearly mentioned in my application that my PhD thesis is going to be on Shakespeare. The scope of my PHD thesis has continued to remain the same since the time of mu application to Oxford and therefore I believe that this constitutes a fundamental breach of contract when the university failed my PHD exam," she said.

The student said that she has "assiduously followed all the appeals and complaints process and shown respect to these procedures" but felt let down by these procedures.

"I want justice for my PhD confirmation issue," she said.

"Since December 2021, I have filed several appeals and complaints in various stages both within the university as well as in the Office of the Independent Adjudicator of my PhD problem," Balakrishnan added.

She stated that the university and the OIA refused to uphold the appeal because they said that the assessors are credited scholars and their decision "academic judgement" must be accepted.

"I am not challenging the academic judgement of the assessors on their academics, I am challenging the judgement on the basis of racial bias and procedural irregularity," Balakrishnan alleged.

She said she had spent over 100,000 pounds by "making immense sacrifices."

"After spending such an enormous sum of money which is 100,000 pounds the least they could do is to allow me to submit my PhD thesis and undertake my final viva, that is all that I am expecting," she said.

The graduate student said that after the appeals and complaints procedure of the university failed to grant her justice, she has initiated legal action.

"The university's actions have disadvantaged me financially and affected my job prospects," claimed Balakrishnan

She said she has also started a Go fund page appealing to the public for "financial support to seek justice."

She further said that she has appealed to the Vice Chancellor and the Pro Vice Chancellor of the university.

"I have requested meetings from them. Unfortunately, I have not had a positive response from them," she said.

"My own college at Oxford has testified about severe irregularities as had happened in my case. I would appreciate it if they could positively resolve my case," she said.

The Indian student has also alleged that she believes her assessors were "motivated by racial bias" in failing her PhD thesis.

"There were two white students in my October 2018 cohort who pursued their PhD thesis on Shakespeare and their thesis were accepted while mine was not," Balakrishnan alleged.

She has alleged that after the assessors failed her PhD they forcibly transferred her to the Masters course without following due process.

"Without my consent. They have violated the principles of natural justice by transferring me to MA before I could even appeal the decision and have the outcome of that appeal. So this is discriminatory," she alleged.

"Throughout my case I have been denied procedural fairness. and decisions have been made in an arbitrary and discriminatory manner. I have faced systemic bullying and harassment issues from the Oxford English faculty," Balakrishnan alleged.

‘Felt ostracised’

She claimed that in 2019 one of her confirmation assessors who had failed her bullied her at a seminar event and she had to stop attending all the seminar events.

"Because I felt ostracised after being subjected to harassment in a targeted manner by a senior academic," she said

"I think race was certainly a motivating factor behind the professor targeting me in that manner," she said adding that there is a "deep bias and discrimination against Indian students."

Balakrishnan said Indian students are disadvantaged seriously as a result of the deep bias.

She also claimed that "there is a reluctance from Oxford's English faculty to allow students of colour to thrive in the field by making original contributions."

‘Academic misconduct and plagiarism’

Balakrishnan has claimed that there is evidence of one of the assessors engaging in "academic misconduct and plagiarism" of her work and this she said raises serious questions about the "academic integrity of the November 2021 confirmation decision."

The student said that she has felt let down by the appeals and complaints process.

In September 2023, Rashmi Samant who had scripted history to become the first Indian to be elected as the President of the Oxford Student Union (SU) came out with a tell-all book, 'A Hindu in Oxford'

Samant detailed her harrowing experience of being allegedly targeted and singled by her professors at the university claiming that they questioned her holding the office of president citing her religious and ethnic backgrounds. (ANI)

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