He is now in mid-50s and Julie just half his age. The Patna University Syndicate meeting chaired by the Vice Chancellor, Prof Shyam Lal, unanimously gave a nod to his dismissal on the plea that he had not only brought disrepute to the teacher-taught relationship but also tarnished the image of Patna University. Not only Prof Chaudhary lives with Julie but he demonstrates his love for her. Along with her he once, three years back, went to the class-room in B N College of the University––where he was a Reader––and gave a lecture on the importance of Platonic love. The University took a strong view of his love campaign and suspended him on July 15, 2006.

But this incident was preceded by another amusing one. Prof Chaudhary and Julie were publicly thrashed by his wife, Abha, in full public view and some television channels openly telecast it. His wife went to the house where they used to live, caught hold of Julie’s hair and beat her black and blue. However, none of them retaliated, they only tried to defend themselves.

Prof Chaudhary, however, had his fans and supporters too and they find nothing wrong in it. After all he is not the first to do so in the field of education, they argued. His crime is that he openly displays it. After that public bashing he called on several political leaders, including the then railway minister, Lalu Yadav. He even planned to contest the recently concluded parliamentary election from Patna Saheb constituency, but his nomination was rejected on technical ground.

Prof Chaudhary is a reputed Hindi teacher and a lot of students having Hindi as an optional subject in Civil Service examinations take tuition from him. Julie was in fact doing research under him.

But the big question is: if after July 2, 2009 judgment of the Delhi high court gays and lesbians––professors, doctors, engineers, actors, journalists and other professionals––have right to proudly propagate on the streets and television channels their homosexual relationship why was Prof Chaudhary dismissed in having heterosexual ties. If the gays and lesbians danced, rejoiced and distributed sweets after the ruling what is wrong in a professor and his student proclaiming that they live together.

Before dismissing Prof Chaudhary the University took into account some of the revelations made by Professor’s wife Abha Chaudhary.

Morally, what the Patna University did is understandable. But how can it be legally justified in the age when laws are being interpreted so differently. After all we have no definition of live-in relationship and the University can not force a husband to live with his wife if he is bent upon not doing so. The wife can drag this issue to the court or seek divorce.

Comment

comments...

Prof Matuknath should have converted to islam then he would have been fine. I don't know why state has to interfere in two adults having any kind of consensual relationship.

Suroor Ahmed in his reply to this article mentions Veer Sanghavi's column that state should keep away from the bedroom and then to counter it he mentions how about case of parital rape where state pokes in bedroom.

I am sorry tosay the meaning of word consensual is lost here because any kind of rape means one party was not part of the romp. The momenbt you force anythign on anybody against their will you are breaking law and state has jurisdiction..

Defining word here is consensual. If a wife says she was not raped and yet state comes knokcing at your door with charge of rape then it would be poking the nose in the bedroom.

Anyway those who are asking the rhetorical question of what you would have done had you caught your spouse in that situation. Well to answere this question years of cultural conditioning may drive people crazy and others too might take law into their hands just like Prof. Matuk's wife but that doesn't justify the illegality of the action. right course is to divorce your spouse and suck him dry in alimony take everything he/she will learn the lessons

anil kanhaiya

Homo or Hetero, both are not only wrong but also have been viewed as a Cardinal Sin, because it destroys the very basic principle of wedlock. Societies have some rules and regulation based on moral values in order to allow men and women have respectable and pious relations. The Wedlock is so important that a girl becomes a wife of a fugitive man merely by complying norms of a Society whereby the man cares her utmost and girl looks after him utmost, according to the natural values of both sexes. Where such values are neglected there is an animal-like life.
Polygamy has never been a curse in the societies since the inception of human life on the earth, provided:
It becomes a necessity.
The girl is agreeable to it at her free will.
Equality is maintained between wives.

Now-a-days it became uncommon but illegal polygamy became common in some so-called developed societies. Is it not better to have legal polygamy than illegal polygamy?

Gheyas Hashmi
Jeddah

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In my view Dr Mukutnath has shown his flirtatious nature and taken advantage of immaturity and weakness of his pupil so that he could get cheap publicity which took him to even an extent to accomplish his clandestine political ambition.

His dismissal from Patna University based on pupil's revealation shows itself that he must have manipulated to trap her which undoudtedly stigmatized the sacred relation of teacher and student. Affinity with opposit sex irrespective of her/his age is neither a crime nor immoral act but to propagate it among students inside the class and give this affair a platonoic love is completely sign of immoral act and Patna University has taken right dicision.

Our civil society doesnot allow anybody to have extramarital affair and in the case of Prof Mukutnath he had committed social crime if he had fond himself uncomfortable with his wife there might have been other ways to solve his problem but doing such act and highlighted it publicly was not right. Liberty does not permit to stangulate one's happiness for the sake of ones own ambition. There have been several case of extramarital with public figures but they have been highlighted either by enemies or opposition but here it is strange that Prof Mututnath himself propgated it and also enjoyed the name of Love Guru which was given to him.

Secoondly, Relating this controversy with Homosexual is not approriate becasue later is issue of imparting liberty to socially deprived humane on the other hand former is completely a case of stigmatizing the civil society where one does act for his cheap popularity in stead of giving social reform message if we go through story of Prof Mukutnath as of now.

Farooque

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moral dilemma regarding Love Guru Matuk nath's dismissal

There seems to be a lack of understanding on legal matters in this seemingly prejudiced article. University is not forcing any husband to live with his wife. What university has done here is dismissed the professor who broke the University Rules and Regulations by bringing in hoodlums and outsiders into the University Campus unauthorised and held a lecture on 'love' with his student/girlfriend. This act of hooliganism goes totally against the sanctity of any educational institution and it is illegal. Furthermore, it has been reported earlier on your website that the Professor had acquired university accommodation on false requisites.

Secondly, if marriage is not working , Professor could finish it gracefully by seeking the divorce himself before going into a relationship with a student less than half his age. That would be a 'sensible' and 'humane' thing to do and one should expect that from an educated person(professor) who guides our future generations. But I assume he wants to have his cake and eat it too.
What is worth noting is that the Professor Matuk Nath has been suspended for the last three years, has been getting half the regular salary without ANY work, staying married while living with his girl friend and giving love lessons through the Media.
We have such a tolerant society and cash rich University. Unbelievable !!!

Manvendra Narayan

LL.M.

London, UK

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With due respect to your intelligence and 'open-mindedness' I find it hard to see the connection or any legal relevance between Delhi High Court's ruling on Section 377 and Patna University's ruling on so called 'Love Guru' Matuk Nath Choudhary.
It seems that you have based your reporting mostly on what was shown by sensational TV media. You write that "But this incident was preceded by another amusing one. Prof Chaudhary and Julie were publicly thrashed by his wife, Abha, in full public view and some television channels openly telecast it. His wife went to the house where they used to live, caught hold of Julie’s hair and beat her black and blue. However, none of them retaliated, they only tried to defend themselves."
I would like to raise few questions here which any sane person would find essential for a complete reporting of this entire episode.
Did you ever care to find out what lead to that public outburst of rage from a well educated decent lady?
Did you every think why you never saw her on the TV again after the media repeatedly showed her few seconds video footing over and over for many days trying to make her look like a monster While prof. Matuk Nath was basking in his new found stardom? I remember very well the TV footage. Mrs. Abha Choudhary never thrashed or beat Julie black and blue. This is an exaggeration. Yes, she did caught hold of her hair and shook her back and forth.
Did you look into Mrs Abha Choudhary's statement that she gave to police or to the court about what happened to her just before she was rescued by the policemen?
Did you ever try to talk to her directly or anyone closer to her to find out what happened when she went to the 'house where they used to live'?
I don't think so otherwise you would have mentioned these things in your article. You seem to be singing hymns of praise for the deeds of love guru and randomly connecting it to section 377 while questioning the legality of his dismissal.
The 'house where they used to live' was the University Accommodation booked by love guru on false grounds. While he owns several properties in and around Patna he told University that he didn't have anywhere to live and took a staff accommodation which was to be his love nest. At home he told his relatives and friends that it was for his academic and official work. As he started staying at the university accommodation more while 'working hard' ,often overnight; his wife , out of concern, went there to visit him only to find him giving 'love lessons' to one of his female students Julie. You can imagine the intensity of shock a dedicated married woman would experience at that sight.
(Mr. Soroor Ahmed , how would you feel if you went early to surprise and say hello to your wife and you found her lying in bed with a young guy less than half her age. Please try to imagine that. and try to visualise the actions you would take afterwards.)
There Abha Choudhary was first requested to keep quite and hush the matter by Matuk Nath and Julie but she refused to accept that behaviour from her husband which led to heated arguments followed by a brutal assault on her by Matuk Nath and Julie while threatening her to deadly consequences. While they were assaulting Abha Choudhary, the neighbours heard her screams and informed the police which came and saved Abha Choudhary from further physical abuse. Had the police not arrived there in time it could have been another headline about a wife being killed by husband and his lover. These sequences were never caught in the camera. Media arrived when Police took all three of them to the police station. You have seen the physique of Matuk Nath and I assume you have also seen Abha Choudhary on TV. Matuk Nath is a well built sturdy man and only a complete imbecile person would think that he can be thrashed black and blue by his wife.
It was clearly reported later on that there were some media hooligans together with some university students who smeared the face of professor. By then the Shrewd professor and his student lover were doing their best to use the attention poured on them by the media whereas the shocked and emotionally vulnerable wife was coerced easily into making a seemingly violent scene for the joy of the cameramen. That scuffle hardly lasted few seconds as police were there to take care of the situation but it was magnified and multiplied by the repeated broadcast of the clip and you fell for it too.
Matuk Nath got a taste of media attention and continued his antics in the name of Love. No one ever cared to find out what kind of sick and psychopathic person he is who coerces young students to his 'love nest'. If you just put together all his media clips and statements you will find enough evidence of his mental imbalance and a psychopathic behaviour.
I am surprised why it took so long for the university to dismiss him! And even more surprised that you are questioning the legality of it!
Matuk Nath is the man who cheats on his wife, lies to her , beats her and justifies his actions by shrewdly chosen prose and poetry from the world of literature. Nothing could be more immoral, unethical, sick and illegal than that.
Are you still wondering?
Sangharsh

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One wrong can't justify another. Both are wrong. Homo or hetro which is repugnannt to civil soiciety.
Hamid