In the historiography of India’s struggle for independence, references typically focus on imprisonment, exile, or capital punishment as instruments of colonial repression. Less frequently noted, however, is the annulment of academic qualifications as a form of political sanction. The case of Vinayak Damodar (Veer) Savarkar (1883–1966) stands out in this regard: he became the first Indian graduate to have his university degree formally revoked as a consequence of revolutionary activity.
In 1911, the University of Bombay (today’s Mumbai University) rescinded Savarkar’s Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature. This measure did not arise from academic misconduct but was undertaken under colonial direction as punishment for his nationalist engagement. It represented an unprecedented episode in Indian higher education, whereby academic recognition was directly weaponized against a political dissident.
The Formation of a Revolutionary Intellectual
Savarkar completed his B.A. at Fergusson College, Pune, before proceeding to London in 1906 on a scholarship to study law at Gray’s Inn. By this time, he had already established himself as an influential nationalist, notably through the foundation of Abhinav Bharat, an organization that sought to inspire radical resistance to colonial authority.
While in London, his intellectual and political commitments intensified:
- He authored The Indian War of Independence of 1857, a historical reinterpretation of the uprising, which was proscribed by the colonial authorities even before its publication.
- He mobilized Indian students at India House, transforming it into a center of revolutionary activity.
- His influence extended to actions such as Madan Lal Dhingra’s assassination of Curzon Wyllie in 1909.
For the British government, Savarkar increasingly represented not merely a student of law but a radical ideologue whose scholarship and activism directly challenged imperial legitimacy.
The Annulment of the Degree
By 1911, as Savarkar faced trial and subsequent deportation to the Cellular Jail in the Andaman Islands, the University of Bombay issued an order revoking his degree. The official justification cited “seditious activities” and “criminal conspiracy against the Crown.”
This sanction was significant in that it extended beyond judicial punishment. It was intended to strip Savarkar of intellectual credibility and to signal that higher education, within the colonial framework, was reserved for loyal subjects rather than for those who sought to subvert imperial authority.
Symbolism and Implications
The annulment carried symbolic importance far beyond its immediate practical effects. A university degree conferred not only social prestige but also access to professional opportunities within the colonial administration and broader Indian society. By depriving Savarkar of this recognition, the British sought to delegitimize the nationalist intelligentsia as a whole.
Paradoxically, the measure had the opposite effect. The forfeiture contributed to Savarkar’s symbolic status as both revolutionary and intellectual martyr, reinforcing his image as an individual prepared to sacrifice not only liberty but also social standing for the nationalist cause.
Posthumous Restoration
The University of Bombay did not reverse its decision during Savarkar’s lifetime. Only in 1966, the year of his death, did the institution formally reinstate his degree. This act constituted less a personal restitution than an institutional acknowledgment of historical injustice and a symbolic rehabilitation of his intellectual standing.
Final Thoughts
Savarkar’s forfeited degree constitutes a unique episode within the broader narrative of India’s struggle for independence. It highlights the extent to which the colonial state sought to control and discipline intellectual life through the apparatus of higher education. At the same time, it illustrates how revolutionary figures redefined the relationship between education, legitimacy, and political resistance.
In becoming the first Indian graduate to lose his degree for political reasons, Savarkar exemplified the intellectual dimensions of anti-colonial struggle, demonstrating that the contest with imperial authority was waged not only on the streets and in the prisons but also within the symbolic domain of universities.
💭 What do you think? Did you already know that the British colonial state went as far as revoking university degrees to suppress nationalist activism? How does Savarkar’s case change or deepen your understanding of the forms colonial repression could take beyond imprisonment and exile? What symbolic significance do you see in the annulment of a degree—does it strike you as more severe, or perhaps more subtle, than imprisonment? Do you think the posthumous restoration of Savarkar’s degree in 1966 meaningfully addressed the injustice, or was it merely symbolic? In your view, should universities remain politically neutral spaces, or is academic life inevitably entangled with political struggle?
👉 Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Sources:
KEER, Dhananjay. 1988. Veer Savarkar. Third Edition. (Second Edition: 1966). Popular Prakashan: Bombay (Mumbai).
SAMPATH, Vikram. 2019. Savarkar (Part 1). Echoes from a forgotten past. 1883-1924.Penguin Random House India: Gurgaon.
Visana, Vikram. 2021. ‘Savarkar before Hindutva: Sovereignty, Republicanism, and Populism in India, c.1900–1920’, in Modern Intellectual History 18, no. 4 (2021): 1106–1129. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
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