India, Aug. 12 -- The cancellation of the annual Fr Stan Swamy Memorial Lecture by St Xavier's College drew an anguished response from the late priest's close associate, and former principal of the college, Fr Frazer Mascarenhas, who called it "saddening, more so because it took place in a Jesuit college".

He argued that there are petitions filed in the Bombay high court (HC) which are yet to be heard, leading to the delay in clearing his name of the "anti-national" charge.

The lecture, that was to be delivered virtually on Saturday, was cancelled after the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) submitted a letter to the principal saying that holding a lecture in Fr Stan Swamy's name amounted to "glorifying" a person accused of "anti...