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Mr. Ashwin Devi Srinivasan Vs Union of India — Writ and Judicial Review | Telangana HC (2026)

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Telangana HC
2026
Mr. Ashwin Devi Srinivasan Vs Union of IndiaMr. Ashwin Devi Srinivasan v. Union of India

Disposed¶115

Mr. Ashwin Devi Srinivasan v. Union of India

Telangana HC8 Jan 2026WP/40069/2025

Case brief

AI extract

What is this about?

W.P.No.40069 of 2025 | High Court for the State of Telangana at Hyderabad | decided 08-01-2026 | Mrs. Justice Surepalli Nanda | Petitioner: Ashwin Devi Srinivasan (B.Tech ECE-VLSI, NIT Warangal, Roll No.23ECB1F01) | Respondents: (1) Union of India, Ministry of Education; (2) NIT Warangal (Registrar); (3) ICC, NIT Warangal; (4) Dean, Students Welfare, NIT Warangal; (5) Chairman, Senate-cum-Director, NIT Warangal | Impugned: suspension order NITW/Dean (SW)/2025/02 dt. 26-09-2025 (two-year suspension on ICC report re anonymous emails / harassment of Ms. Dharani; coerced 17.09.2025 statement) | Appeal dt. 08-10-2025 not considered by Respondent No.5 | References: Article 226, Constitution of India; Section 151 CPC | Outcome: writ petition disposed of without costs; miscellaneous petitions closed.

What did the court decide?

The writ petition stands disposed of without costs.

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Disposed

Issue for consideration

Whether the suspension order No. NITW/Dean (SW)/2025/02 dated 26.09.2025 passed by Respondent No.4 on the recommendations and report of Respondent No.3 (ICC) is illegal, arbitrary and violative of the principles of natural justice. +2 more

Ratio / Principle

The writ petition stands disposed of without costs.

Key takeaways

Miscellaneous petitions, if any, pending in the writ petition, stand closed.ratio¶95

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

High Court for the State of Telangana at Hyderabad (Surepalli Nanda J., single member) - W.P.No.40069 of 2025, decided 08.01.2026. Writ petition under Article 226 by Mr. Ashwin Devi Srinivasan, B.Tech (ECE-VLSI) student of NIT Warangal (Roll No.23ECB1F01), (i) challenging suspension Order No. NITW/Dean (SW)/2025/02 dated 26.09.2025 passed by Respondent No.4 (Dean, Students Welfare) on the recommendations and report of Respondent No.3 (ICC) - which had concluded that he was harassing Ms. Dharani through indecent and offensive mails and suspended him for two years - allegedly resting on a coerced written statement given after a 17.09.2025 interrogation and seizure of his devices, and (ii) complaining that his appeal dated 08.10.2025 to Respondent No.5 (Chairman, Senate/Director) had not been considered. Interim application IA No.1 of 2025 (S.151 CPC) sought permission to attend classes and semester exams pending disposal. The Court, having heard counsel for the petitioner and respondents and perused the record including the suspension order, the appeal and the fact that no orders had been passed on it, disposed of the writ petition without costs and closed pending miscellaneous petitions; the operative directions in paras 7-8 of the order are lost to OCR damage in the supplied text, so no substantive relief can be verified from this copy.

A

132521

HIGH COURT FOR^THE STATE OF TELANGANA AT HYDERABAD

THURSDAY, THE EIGHTH DAY OF JANUARY TWO THOUSAND AND TWENT"ii'^"'

PRESENT

THE HONOURABLE MRS JUSTTCE SUREPALLI NANDA

Between:

Mr' Ashwin Devi srinivasan, s/o M. srinivasan, aged abgg! 20 years, Roil No. 23EcBlF0 1 B. recn riiV"rii e"c"e-'Ur_si ruit'lJ.i'iriyn=tlti I:hL%Tilr.?'rt'#^{n7o ili lsl iir, 6,.* ; s F;i, ffif il'i',?k',,?#} ,]3fl il#fi:lg? j

AND

...PETtfloNER

, Hillo*nol,I^f3b,ft?rrJri: Secretary, Ministry of Education,l2\ c shastri

' i3,:?!:',ISUffi Represented bv the Resistrar waransar "?t"!:f;1.'SSf"Eda

THE INTERNAL COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE (IC^C),, NIT WARANGAL Nationat tnstftute or recnnoi;d,'Wari;s;iltlrliE".a State tndia ptN s06004.

4' THE DEAN,. STUDENTS WELFARF,T Nrr WARAN-GAL Nationar rnstitute of I"f []3!""'J,g:;1xff :lFhrg3:tu:'13i?iti'fl iJmHae{"F}3[i.,l3i^u,".

THE CHAIRMAN, SENATE I.E.-CUM., THE DIRECIOR, NIT WARANGAL National lnstitute or recnnotgy w"i#d"r'iJr"idlna State rndia ptN s06004.

...RESPONDENTS

Petition under Articte 226 of the constitution of lndia praying that in the circumstances stated in the affidavit fired therewith, the High court may be pleased to grant an order, direction or writ, more so in the nature of writ of Mandamus. a. To decraring the suspension order No. Nrrw Dean (sw) t2025t02 dated'26-09-2025 passed by Respondent.No.4 on recommendations and report of Respondent'No'3 as illegal and arbitrary and violation of principles of natural justice' b' To decrare the actions of Respondent No.S in not considering the appeal filed by the Petitioner on date. 08-1 o-202s till date and thereby causing

i'.!

the petitioner to loose his academic semister, as arbitrary, illegal, and unconstitr"rtional. And direct the Respondent No.5 to consider the^petitioners appeal wilhout any further delay, by duly^giving the^petitioner opportunity to make his submir;sions pass appropriate orders within a reasonable time. c. To direct the Respondent No.S to conduct a through enquiry into the said ICC committee report by constituting a fact finding committee and enquiring into the alleged incident and emails.

lA NO: 1 OF 2025

Petition under Section 151 CPC^praying that in the circgmstances statedⁱⁿ the affidavit filed in support of the^petition, the High Court may be^pleased to direct the Flespodent.nos.2 to 5 to allow Petitioner to attend his regular academic classes byappear in semesterexams under his^present Roll No.23ECB1F01,^B. Tech lll Year, ECE-VLSI, imposing any reasonable conditions if required, pending the final disposal of the main writ petition.

Counsel for the Petitioner : SMT.KOTA KALPANA

counser for the Respondent No.1 ' 3ft:,"#iH:*5t?india

Counselfor the Respondents No.2to5 : SRI R.ANURAG,^(SC FOR NIT)

The Court made the following: ORDER

IN THE HIGH COURT FOR THE STATE OF TELANGANA

AT HYDERABAD

THE HON'BLE MRS. JUSTICE SUREPALLI NANDA

DATE: O8.O1.2026

BETWEEN:

Mr. Ashwin Devi Srinivasan

...petitioner

And

Union of India

Rep by its Secretary,

Ministry of Education, 127 C, Shastri Bhavan

New Delhi, 110001, and four (4) others

...respondents

ORDER

Heard Smt. Kota Kalpana, learned counset appearing on behalf of the petitioner, Sri N. Bujanga Rao, learned Deputy soricitor Generat of rndia,

2

SN,' W.P.No.4OO69 of 2025

appearing on behalf of respondent No.1 and sri R. Anurag, learned standing counsel for National Institute of Technology, Warangal, appearing on behalf of respondent Nos.2 to 5.

praven as under:

"......to grant an order, direction or writ, more so irr the nature of Writ of Mandamus:

a. To declaring the suspension Order No.NITW/ Dean (SW) 12025/02 dated:26-09-2025 passed by Respondent.No.4 on recommendations and report of Respondent.No.3 as illegal and arbitrary and violation of principles of natural justice.

b. To declare the actions of Respondent No.5 in not cottsidering the appeal filed by the Petitioner on date: 08-10-2025 till date and thereby causing the petitioner to loose his academic semester, as arbitrary, illegal, and unconstitutional. And direct the Res;pondent No.5 to consider the^petitioners appeal witlrout any further delay, by duly giving the petitioner opportunity to make his submissions pass appropriate ord'3rs within a reasonable time.

3

SN,' W.P.No.4OO69 of 2O2s

c. To direct the Respondent No.5 to conduct a through enquiry into the said ICC committee report by constituting a fact finding committee and enquiring into the alleged incident and emails, and pass such other order or orders ...."

The case the oetitioner in brief as Der the averments made in the affidavit filed bv the oetitioner in suoport of the oresent writ oetition is as under:

i) The Petitioner is a meritorious B.Tech (ECE-VLSI) student of NIT Warangal with an unblemished record. In May 2025, anonymous emails containing sensitive personal information were sent from an unidentified account to another student.

ii) Though there was no direct or technical evidence linking the Petitioner, suspicion was cast on him merery due to past acquaintance, which the petitioner consistently denied. Notably, even after seizure of the petitioner's devices, the emails continued, indicating the involvement of a third party.

e':

i I

4

sNrJ W.P.No.4OO69 of 2O25

iii) on t7.09.202s, the petitioner was subjected to a coercive interrogation without notice, legal counsel, or par'3ntol access, during which petitioner,s devices were seized without due process and the petitioner was compelled to give a written statement under threat.

iv) Relying solely on the said coerced statement and unverified material, the ICC passed an order dated 26.09.2025 suspending the petitioner for two years. The Petitioner's statutory appeal dated 0g.10.2025 was not considered. Aggrieved by the same, the petitioner approached this court by filing the present writ petition.

4 PERUSED THE RECORD:

A) :'he retevant oortio

E4lrdent No.4-Nation

waranoal vide No.Nrrw ^ean (swr -o25'n2 dated @ZOZS issuea to ttre p extracted hereunder:

"T\e ICC further observed that alt the evidences clearly insinuate that Mr. Ashwin is guilty and he along

5

SN,J W.P.No.4OO69 of 2025

with his parents arso confessed of the guilt and the committee concluded that Mr. Ashwin has been harassing Ms. Dharani through indecent and offensive mails. In accordance with the recommendations of the ICC, the following action is enforced against Mr. Ashwin with immediate effect:

Mr. Ashwin is suspended immediatery from the institute for a period of 2 years i.e., until Ms. Dharani passes out the institute with her degree and Mr. Ashwin must not enter the campus for the said period.

If there is no evidence of further harassment during these two years, he may be permitted to continue his studies, fairing which he shourd be rusticated with immediate effect against any further such actions.

The Committee arso suggested Mr. Ashwin,s parents that he needs a counselling by the psychiatrist.

Mr. Ashwin ffioy, however, appeal in writing to the

. Chairman, Senate i.e., Director, NITW within ten days from the date of receipt of this Order.,,

Learned counser appearing on beharf of the petitioner mainly contends that the suspension order No. NITW/Dean (sw)/202s/02 dated 26.09.2o2s, passed by Respondent No.4 0n the recommendations and report of Respondent No.3, is illegal, arbitrary, and in vioration of the principres of natural justice. Aggrieved by the same, the petitioner

.-:c5.t.t

6

sNrJ W.P.No.4OO69 of 2O25

preferred an appeal before the Respondent No.5 on 08.10.2025. However, the said appeal had not been considered or disposed of in accordance with law, thereby putting the petitioner to serious hardship.

Learned counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioner further submits that an appropriate direction may be issued to Respondent No.S to dispo,se of the appeal filed by the petitioner on O8.1C1.2O25, within a reasonable period, which was prefenred against the order dated 26.09.2025 passed by Respondent No.4 suspending the petitioner.

accordance with law.

a) The aforesaid facts and circumstances of the case;

7

SN,J W.P.No.4OO69 of 2O25

\ \

b) The submissions made by the learned counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioner and the learned standing counsel appearing on behalf of Respondent Nos.2 to 5;

c) The suspension Order vide proceedings No. NITW/Dean (SW) I ZOZS t02 dated 26,.09.2C.25, passed by Respondent No.4,

d) The appeat preferred by the petitioner dated 08'10'2025 against the suspension order dated 26.09.2025 passed by Re,spondent No.4 upon the recommendations and report of Respondent No.3 herein; and

e) The fact that no orders had been passed on the appeal preferred by the petitioner dated Og.tO.2O25 by Respondenf No.S as on date,

f) The discussion and conctusion as arrived at paragraph Nos.S to 7 of the present order,

8

SN,J W.P.No.4OO69 of 2Ois

be no order as to^costs.

Mis;cellaneous^{petitions,if any, pending in this Writ}

Petition,^{:;hall stand closed.}

/

SHANKAR
SD'.4
At.IT
,ITRUE COPY"
SECTION OFFICER

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one CC^{to SRI R.ANURAG, (SC FoR NlT, WARANGAL). IoPUC]}

Two CD CoPies.

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HIGH COURT

DATED:08/01 12026

CC TODAY

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ORDER

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WP.No.40069 of 2025

DISPOSING OF THE PETITION WITHOTJT COSTS

KS ' '4'1,'

Issues for consideration

3 issues framed by the court

AI extract

1.
Whether the suspension order No. NITW/Dean (SW)/2025/02 dated 26.09.2025 passed by Respondent No.4 on the recommendations and report of Respondent No.3 (ICC) is illegal, arbitrary and violative of the principles of natural justice.¶73
2.
Whether the failure of Respondent No.5 to consider/dispose of the petitioner's appeal dated 08.10.2025 is arbitrary and illegal, and whether a direction should issue to Respondent No.5 to dispose of that appeal within a reasonable time.¶78
3.
Whether a fact-finding committee should be constituted to conduct a thorough enquiry into the ICC committee report, the alleged incident and the emails.medium confidence¶50

Statutes considered

2 provisions across 2 enactments

AI extract

Constitution of IndiaArticle 226¶16
Civil Procedure Code151¶20

Procedural history

How this case reached the court

AI extract

Order under challenge
Suspension Order No. NITW/Dean (SW)/2025/02 dated 26-09-2025, passed by Respondent No.4 (Dean, Students Welfare, NIT Warangal) on the recommendations and report of Respondent No.3 (ICC), suspending the petitioner from the institute for a period of 2 years with immediate effect, with a right to appeal in writing to the Chairman, Senate i.e. Director, NITW within ten days.¶46
Respondent No.4 - The Dean, Students Welfare, NIT Warangal · 26-09-2025
Prior proceeding
In May 2025, anonymous emails containing sensitive personal information were sent from an unidentified account to another student; suspicion fell on the petitioner despite absence of direct or technical evidence.¶52
Prior proceeding
On 17.09.2025 the petitioner was subjected to a coercive interrogation without notice, legal counsel or parental access; his devices were seized without due process and he was compelled to give a written statement under threat.¶58
Prior proceeding
Relying on the said statement and unverified material, the ICC passed an order dated 26.09.2025 suspending the petitioner for two years.¶59
Prior proceeding
The petitioner preferred an appeal before Respondent No.5 on 08.10.2025 against the suspension order; it had not been considered or disposed of, causing serious hardship.¶77
Prior proceeding
IA No.1 of 2025 under Section 151 CPC prayed that Respondent Nos.2 to 5 be directed to allow the petitioner to attend regular academic classes and appear in semester exams (Roll No.23ECB1F01, B.Tech III Year, ECE-VLSI), with any reasonable conditions, pending final disposal of the main writ petition.¶20

Parties & counsel

AI extract

petitioner
Mr. Ashwin Devi Srinivasan¶30
Smt. Kota Kalpana
respondent
Union of India, Rep. by its Secretary, Ministry of Education, 127 C, Shastri Bhavan, New Delhi, 110001 (Respondent No.1)¶33
Sri N. Bujanga Rao, learned Deputy Solicitor General of India
respondent
National Institute of Technology, Warangal, represented by the Registrar (Respondent No.2)¶11
Sri R. Anurag, learned standing counsel for National Institute of Technology, Warangal
respondent
The Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), NIT Warangal (Respondent No.3)¶12
Sri R. Anurag, learned standing counsel for National Institute of Technology, Warangal
respondent
The Dean, Students Welfare, NIT Warangal (Respondent No.4)¶13
Sri R. Anurag, learned standing counsel for National Institute of Technology, Warangal
respondent
The Chairman, Senate i.e.-cum-the Director, NIT Warangal (Respondent No.5)¶14
Sri R. Anurag, learned standing counsel for National Institute of Technology, Warangal

Coram

AI extract

Mrs. Justice Surepalli Nandaauthor¶27

Case details

As recorded by the court registry

Court: Telangana HC
Decided on: 8 Jan 2026 · January
Registered: 24 Dec 2025
Case no.: WP/40069/2025
CNR: HBHC010806932025
Topic: Writ and Judicial Review
Bench: Surepalli Nanda
Disposal: DISPOSED OF NO COSTS
Case type: W.P.

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Cite this judgement

Mr. Ashwin Devi Srinivasan v. Union of India, WP/40069/2025 (TEL), decided on 8 January 2026.

The High Court for the State of Telangana publishes no neutral citation for this judgement — cite it by case number and date of decision.

Statutes2

Constitution of IndiaArticle 226
Civil Procedure Code151

View all statutes

Procedural history6

Suspension Order No. NITW/Dean (SW)/2025/02 dated 26-09-2025, passed by Respondent No.4 (Dean, Students Welfare, NIT Warangal) on the recommendations and report of Respondent No.3 (ICC), suspending the petitioner from the institute for a period of 2 years with immediate effect, with a right to appeal in writing to the Chairman, Senate i.e. Director, NITW within ten days.Respondent No.4 - The Dean, Students Welfare, NIT Warangal · 26-09-2025
In May 2025, anonymous emails containing sensitive personal information were sent from an unidentified account to another student; suspicion fell on the petitioner despite absence of direct or technical evidence.
On 17.09.2025 the petitioner was subjected to a coercive interrogation without notice, legal counsel or parental access; his devices were seized without due process and he was compelled to give a written statement under threat.

View full history

Bench / Coram

Mrs. Justice Surepalli Nanda

Parties & counsel