After nearly eight years of doctoral research marked by pregnancies and health struggles, a Periyar University PhD scholar who was abruptly removed from the programme has been allowed to rejoin.
Yaazhini (name changed), a research scholar from a rural village in Salem district and the first in her family to pursue a degree, joined the Tamil department of Periyar University to pursue her doctorate in January 2017, just a week after her marriage.
Yaazhini, who hails from a socially and economically backward community, took her first maternity leave in January 2018 for six months, duly informing the department, and rejoined in June. In April 2022, she became pregnant for a second time, applied for maternity leave and rejoined the programme in April 2023, without receiving any communication from the department or university questioning her eligibility.
By then, Yaazhini had completed nearly 80% of her research work. However, in December 2024, she received a letter stating that her PhD registration had been cancelled following a syndicate decision, and that she could not continue. The department later informed her that a second maternity leave could not be granted.
"I was never informed earlier. For both my pregnancies, I attended college even a day before delivery. Without any explanation or an opportunity to be heard, everything was taken away."
As nearly eight years of work appeared to have been erased overnight, Yaazhini approached multiple officials but received no response. Mentally exhausted, she stopped attending the university in April 2025.
Her case resurfaced when an enquiry committee, constituted to probe complaints against the former head of the Tamil department, began hearing cases of research scholars who had discontinued their programmes. Yaazhini was given an opportunity to present her case before members of the vice chancellor's committee and explain the progress of her thesis.
Following the review, the university permitted her to rejoin the PhD programme. "In a strange coincidence, I received my cancellation letter on December 12, 2024, and my rejoining letter exactly a year later, on December 12, 2025," she said. She has since resumed her research and expects to complete her thesis within six months.
Her reinstatement comes amid serious allegations against a senior professor of the Tamil department, who was suspended in August 2025 after multiple PhD scholars accused him of caste-based humiliation, academic obstruction and professional misconduct. A preliminary enquiry found that sustained pressure and lack of academic support had forced several scholars to discontinue their research.
A senior member of the university syndicate said the enquiry committee critically examined the complaints and the reasons behind scholar dropouts. "Based on its findings, up to seven scholars from the Tamil department were allowed to continue their research. Five have chosen to rejoin," the member said.
Another scholar who discontinued her research in 2020 said the pressure she faced left her with no option but to quit. "Being given another chance now feels like a ray of hope," she said.