"There've Been Some Lapses": What Ashoka University Said On Latest Exits

Pratap Bhanu Mehta and Arvind Subramanian believe Ashoka University should embody a liberal vision, the joint statement said.

Ashoka University, Sonepat, has admitted that there have been "lapses in institutional processes" surrounding the exits, last week, of two top academics citing free-speech curbs. The privately-funded liberal arts institution has said it will "work to rectify" these slips "in consultation with all stakeholders". Acknowledging their eminence, a joint statement from the university's top functionaries and the two  outgoing faculty members, Pratap Bhanu Mehta and Arvind Subramanian, sought to emphasise that the two continue to believe in it being "one of the most important projects in Indian higher education". "We acknowledge that there have been some lapses in institutional processes which we will work to rectify in consultation with all stakeholders. This will reaffirm our commitment to academic autonomy and freedom which have always been at the core of the Ashoka University ideals," the statement said. "They continue to believe strongly that Ashoka University should embody a liberal vision and commitment to academic freedom and autonomy," it said.