Dhaka University teacher Samia’s demotion illegal: HC

The High Court (HC) on Thursday overruled a decision of Dhaka University (DU) authorities on demoting the Mass Communication and Journalism department's faculty member Samia Rahman on the allegation of plagiarism in her research paper.

The High Court bench comprising Justice Zafar Ahmed and Justice Md Akhtaruzzaman also ordered the authorities to provide her with all facilities of the department, Samia's lawyer Barrister Hasan M Azim said.

However, the lawyer of Dhaka University Sayed Mejbah Uddin told media that they would file an appeal challenging the judgment of the High Court, after discussion with the DU authorities.

On 28 January 2021, a DU syndicate meeting demoted Samia Rahman to an assistant professor from the post of associate professor after finding evidence of plagiarism in her research paper.

At the same time, the university syndicate had decided that her research associate Syed Mahfuzul Haque Marjan, a lecturer at the Department of Criminology, should also remain in the same position for two years.

On 31 August 2021, Samia Rahman filed a writ with the High Court challenging the university decision.

After hearing that writ, the High Court issued a ruling on 5 September 2021 seeking to know why the decision of her demotion should not be declared illegal.

Thursday's order came at the hearing of the aforementioned ruling.