South Asian University

South Asian University
MottoKnowledge without borders
TypeInternational university Public research university central university
Established2010 (2010)
FounderSAARC
Parent institution
SAARC
AffiliationsRecognised by all SAARC Countries
Budget₹448.13 crore (US$54.07 Million)[1]
PresidentK. K. Aggarwal[2]
Students1500+
Location
New Delhi
,
India

28°29′06″N 77°11′53″E / 28.485°N 77.198°E / 28.485; 77.198
Campus
Websitesau.int

South Asian University (SAU) is an international university sponsored by the eight Member States of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The eight countries are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The university started admitting students in 2010 at a temporary campus at Akbar Bhawan, India. Since February 2023, the university is running on its permanent campus at Maidan Garhi in South Delhi, India,[3] next to Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).[4]

History

Students on joint India and Pakistan Independence Day Celebration

At the 13th SAARC Summit held in Dhaka in November 2005, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh proposed the establishment of a South Asian University to provide world-class facilities and professional faculty to students and researchers from SAARC member countries.[4] The "Inter-governmental Agreement for the Establishment of the South Asian University" was signed at the 14th SAARC Summit. The SAARC member states also decided that the university would be established in India.[4] Professor Gopal Krishna Chadha, Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council member and former vice-chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, was formally appointed the CEO of the project and first President.[5]

India provides the majority of funds, around US$239.93 million, for the foundation of the university, which is around 79 per cent of the total cost of the full establishment of the university until 2014. As of 2018, Pakistan had cleared most of its dues payable.[6] As of 2023, all the member countries other than India have defaulted on paying the dues.[7]

The first academic session of the university started in August 2010, with two post-graduate academic programmes in Economics and Computer Science. As of 2023, SAU offered Master's and MPhil/PhD programs in Applied Mathematics, Biotechnology, Computer Science, Economics, International Relations, Legal Studies and Sociology.[8] The degrees of the university are recognized by all the member nations of the SAARC according to an inter-governmental agreement signed by the foreign ministers of the eight SAARC member states.[9]

South Asian University predominantly attracts students from the eight SAARC countries, although students from other continents also attend. There is a country quota system for the admission of students. SAU conducts admission tests annually at various centres in eight countries.[9]

Campus

South Asian University's campus at Maidan Garhi, New Delhi

The campus of South Asian University is at Maidan Garhi, adjacent to IGNOU and Asola Wildlife Sanctuary. The Master Layout Plan of this 100-acre campus houses faculty buildings, hostels, playgrounds, residential apartments and a club. The construction was completed by 2022–23.[10]

Organization and administration

Prof. G. K. Chadha Library, part of the university

The founding President of the university, Gopal Krishna Chadha, died on 1 March 2014.[11] On 3 November 2014, Dr. Kavita Sharma took charge as the President of the university.[12] She retired in November 2019.[13] A.V.S. Ramesh Chandra was appointed as acting president. He was followed by Ranjan Kumar Mohanty, who is the last acting president.[13] Currently, on 27 December 2023, After four-year wait, K. K. Aggarwal fills South Asian University president's post[14]

The decision-making bodies of South Asian University comprise the Governing Board,[15] the Executive Council, the Academic Council, and the Finance Committee.

Controversy

In July 2025, the university was involved in a disciplinary controversy after a student, Sudeepto Niloy, was expelled following a dispute in the student mess over food restrictions during the Maha Shivratri festival.[16][17] Members of a right-wing student outfit had attempted to forcibly stop the serving of non-vegetarian food, leading to a physical altercation when Das intervened. The action prompted widespread public debates about campus discipline and freedom of expression at the institution.[18][19][20][21]

Das subsequently challenged the expulsion by filing a writ petition in the Delhi High Court under Article 226 of the Indian Constitution. The university administration contested the petition, arguing that as an international organization established by an inter-governmental SAARC agreement, it enjoyed sovereign immunity and was not amenable to the writ jurisdiction of Indian courts.

In early 2026, the Delhi High Court granted interim relief to the petitioner, allowing Das to return and continue his Ph.D. program.[22] Relying on landmark judicial precedents, including the Supreme Court ruling in Ranjit Thakur v. Union of India, Justice Jasmeet Singh observed that the administrative action of complete lifetime expulsion was prima facie unreasonable, vindictive, and shockingly disproportionate to the alleged offense. The court noted that disciplinary punishments must suit the offender and allow a chance for self-reform rather than completely destroying an academic career. The matter remains pending final adjudication regarding the university's ultimate jurisdictional accountability.

Previous incidents include protests in 2022 over the reduction of student stipends, which resulted in police intervention and disciplinary actions against several students and faculty members. Associate professor Snehashish Bhattacharya was suspended and later terminated in 2023, a move that teachers' associations criticized as an attack on academic freedom. Following a prolonged dispute, the university formally terminated Bhattacharya's services in September 2025, backdating the termination to his initial 2023 suspension date.[23]

In 2024, Sri Lankan sociologist Sasanka Perera and one of his students left the university after receiving disciplinary notices over a thesis that included an interview with linguist Noam Chomsky critical of the Indian government.[24]

The Jurisdictional Dispute and MEA Filing

Bhattacharya and other affected faculty members challenged their disciplinary actions by filing writ petitions in the Delhi High Court under Article 226 of the Indian Constitution. A single-judge bench initially dismissed the petitions in January 2024, ruling that SAU—as an international organization established via an intergovernmental SAARC agreement—did not qualify as a "State" instrumentality under Article 12 and was therefore immune to domestic writ jurisdiction.

Bhattacharya and fellow petitioners appealed the verdict before a division bench of the Delhi High Court, vigorously disputing SAU's claim of blanket legal immunity. The petitioners argued that because the university is heavily funded by public money (with the Indian government providing the land and over 50% of capital funding) and performs a distinct public function by imparting higher education within India, it must be held legally accountable under domestic law. They asserted that denying writ jurisdiction would render SAU an institution completely devoid of domestic legal remedy for human rights and employment violations.

The ongoing legal standoff prompted the Delhi High Court to seek a formal stance from the Government of India. In subsequent submissions to the court, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarified the extent of the university's privileges. The Ministry's position notes that while SAU as an institution and its diplomatic officials enjoy standard privileges and immunities regarding local taxation, customs, and property search, this does not automatically grant the administration absolute, blanket immunity from Indian judicial review in matters concerning fundamental rights, arbitrary student expulsions, or unlawful staff terminations. The High Court continues to deliberate on this critical boundary between international organizational autonomy and the constitutional rights of individuals working and studying within Indian borders.[25]

References

  1. ↑ "Unknown" (PDF). www.mea.gov.in. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  2. ↑ Secretariat, SAARC (22 December 2023). "South Asian University to get Chairman from Pakistan and President from India" (Press release). SAARC Official Website.
  3. ↑ Roy, Shubhajit (4 April 2010). "India-Pak visa row casts shadow on PM's dream project". The Indian Express.
  4. 1 2 3 "India to give 240-mn dollars for South Asian University". Thaindian News. ANI. 2 July 2009. Archived from the original on 6 August 2018.
  5. ↑ "South Asian University dream to turn real by 2010". Thaindian News. 26 May 2008. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016.
  6. ↑ Vishnoi, Anubhuti (4 June 2018). "Pakistan clears 94% of South Asian University dues". The Economic Times. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  7. ↑ Kuntamalla, Vidheesha (27 November 2023). "How India's first international university failed to live up to its dream". The Indian Express. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "SAU Annual Report 2012" (PDF). SAU. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  9. 1 2 "South Asian University announces admission for its Master's and PhD programmes for 2023-2024". The Times of India. 15 March 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  10. ↑ "South Asian University rushes to meet deadline for moving to new campus". The Indian Express. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  11. ↑ "Renowned Academician G K Chadha passes away in New Delhi". Biharprabha News. IANS. 2 March 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  12. ↑ "New President SAU". eKantipur Kathmandu Post. 7 November 2014. Archived from the original on 14 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  13. 1 2 Bhattacherjee, Kallol (19 January 2022). "South Asian University remains without president". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  14. ↑ "After four-year wait, K.K agarwal fills South Asian University president's post". The Indian Express. 25 December 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  15. ↑ "SAU GB". SAARC Secretariat. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  16. ↑ "SAU expels Bangladeshi doctoral scholar, fines mess secretary over Shivratri mess row". The Times of India. 18 July 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
  17. ↑ "After Enquiry, SAU Expels Bangladeshi Scholar After Clash Over Serving Fish on Hindu Fasting Day: Report". The Wire. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
  18. ↑ Mondal, Manisha (31 August 2025). "'I got trapped between ideologies in India.' SAU expels Bangladeshi PhD scholar". ThePrint. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
  19. ↑ Channel 24 (10 November 2025). ভারতে মবের শিকার বাংলাদেশি শিক্ষার্থী, হলেন পিএইচডি থেকে বহিষ্কার | Sudipto Das | Channel 24. Retrieved 11 November 2025 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. ↑ "I stood up against religious politics in India and paid the price". Netra News. 12 October 2025. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  21. ↑ Zaman, Rokibuz (30 August 2025). "How row over 'fish curry' led to Bangladeshi scholar's expulsion from a Delhi university". Scroll.in. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  22. ↑ "Sudeepto Das vs South Asian University on 17 February, 2026". Indian Kanoon.
  23. ↑ "Two Years After His Suspension, SAU Fires Faculty Member Who Supported Protesting Students". The Wire. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  24. ↑ "Neighbourhood Lost: The End is Nigh for South Asian University". The Wire. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  25. ↑ "Dr. Snehashish Bhattacharya & Ors. V. South Asian University, Delhi High Court, Judgment, Law, casemine.com". www.casemine.com. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  • annual report for south Asian university 2024
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