MUMBAI, July 19 -- The Bombay High Court (HC) recently revoked the suspension of Akshay Sawant, a PhD scholar from the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. The student was suspended on April 28 until December 31, for allegedly giving unauthorised interviews to the media. On July 15, the division bench of justice MS Karnik and NR Borkar noted that the student had made those statements in individual capacity and not as an authoritative representative of the institute. The court directed IIT-B to cease the suspension from July 25, the start of the new academic year. The court added that the period of suspension undergone by the petitioner will not be treated as stigmatising. "This order is passed in the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case so that the academic career of the petitioner should not be jeopardised," it said. Sawant's suspension followed a media article dated February 19 in which he was quoted as saying, "Every festival is celebrated on our campus. There are several Hindu festivals and most of them including Holi, Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, are celebrated with much fervour." A disciplinary action committee met on April 3, where Sawant had clarified, "I have already stated in the meeting, I wish to inform you that I did not consent to any media personnel or provide any statements for quotation. Media personnel have reported on me without my consent and have misquoted my words." IIT-B officials said the institute will follow the court's order.Niraj Pandit...