Posters call MSU law dean ‘leftist’

Vadodara: Posters and banners calling the dean of MS University’s Faculty of Law a ‘ leftist ’ and one with ‘vampanthi’ (communist) ideology surfaced across the university campus late on Friday night. The posters demand the removal of Dr Archana Gadekar from the post of dean. They surfaced in the law faculty premises, along roads near the university campus, at prominent crossroads and in hostel buildings.

The posters say the dean deliberately organizes examinations and the academic schedule in a way that neither students nor staff can celebrate or participate in Hindu festivals. The posters claim that for Rakshabandhan, Janmashtami, Navratri, Dussehra or Diwali vacations, the faculty keeps students busy with submissions, moot court exams, internal exams and internships. “Why is the MSU vice-chancellor appointing a dean with such communist mentality and supporting such ideology?” the posters ask, alleging that such “anti-national” ideology is promoting a culture like that of JNU and Aligarh Muslim University on the MSU campus.

Gadekar rejected the allegations. “I am an academician to the core with no alignment to any school of thought,” she told TOI. “As I am the dean, I have to ensure courses are run in a proper manner,” she said.

“As Faculty of Law, we have to abide by the guidelines of the Bar Council of India (BCI) and stick to the academic calendar. We have to complete courses within the stipulated time frame,” she said. She added that the cu.