Indian student forcibly removed from Oxford University PhD program; Indian student who spent 1 crore rupees

Indian student forcibly removed from Oxford University PhD program alleges "racist bias". This led to a controversy involving one of the most famous institutions in the world. 

An Indian student has accused Oxford University of “racial bias” and of forcibly removing her from a PhD programme, leading to a controversy involving one of the world's most prestigious institutions. Lakshmi Balakrishnan, from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, claims she was unfairly dismissed from her PhD in English literature and demoted to a master’s level course, prompting her to initiate legal action.

Balakrishnan said her thesis on Shakespeare was accepted during the application process, leading to her enrollment in the PhD programme in 2018. However, after four years, she was removed from the programme and placed in a master’s course without her consent. "It is actually a breach of contract because when I applied to Oxford, I clearly mentioned that my PhD thesis is going to be on Shakespeare," she told ANI.

Expressing her frustration, Balakrishnan said she felt betrayed by the institution. "I feel a sense of betrayal and I feel like I have been let down by an institution that I held in high regard," she told the BBC. She highlighted that she had already completed two master’s degrees in India and had invested nearly £100,000 in the PhD programme at Oxford. “I paid £100,000 at Oxford to get my PhD, not another master's course,” she said, underscoring her discontent with being shifted to a different academic level.

Her troubles began when two independent assessors failed her, arguing that her research did not meet the necessary scope for a PhD. Despite attempts to appeal the decision, Balakrishnan was unsuccessful.

The Queen’s College, where she was enrolled, expressed concern over her treatment and sent a letter to the university. The college’s statement noted that, although she failed the assessments, her work had “no serious issues” and that her research had “potential and merits a PhD,” adding weight to Balakrishnan’s claims.