Report of the People’s Tribunal on Caste Discrimination and Police Action in University of Hyderabad

The tribunal was organized by the concerned teachers, writers, and lawyers of Hyderabad. It was chaired by Justice  K. Chandru (Retired judge, High Court Madras). Prof Govardhan Wankhede (TISS, Bombay) and Prof Ghanshyam Shah (formerly Prof, JNU) were the members. The brief to the tribunal was to examine the circumstances leading to the suicide of research scholar Rohith Vemula Chakravarthy, as well as the police action subsequent to his death and the existing caste discrimination practiced by the University. The tribunal had o examine the existing grievance redressal systems to prevent caste discrimination in the University of Hyderabad and evaluate their effectiveness. The tribunal also submitted its recommendations towards enabling marginalized students to fully participate and enjoy the academic, political and social space of the university more productively and effectively.