GRADUATE STUDENT NADEEM Ahmed came a step closer to victory in his legal battle against the University this week, after the University withdrew its application to have his case thrown out of court.
Tuesday saw a preliminary hearing for the case brought to Oxford County Court, in which Ahmed, backed by his Hertford moral tutor, Tom Paulin, is accusing the University of racial discrimination. The University had previously applied to the Court to have the case struck out on the grounds that there was no case to answer. However, in a surprise move on Tuesday it withdrew the application - effectively accepting that the case should go ahead.
Ahmed's case revolves around an "informal test" which the MPhil student sat, along with two other graduates, in June 1999. The University itself has admitted that this test was "flawed" and, accordingly, that none of the students had passed or failed; yet Ahmed alone was asked to resit the paper. It is on these grounds that the charge of racial discrimination is being brought.
Despite the time taken to come to trial, Ahmed is not alone in his belief that he has a case to answer. He has been granted Legal Aid throughout, taken by supporters as a mark of the strength of his case. The Oxford Racial Equality Council is also acting as his spokesperson to the press. Even Tony Blair is said to be "interested" by the case.
In a statement, the University declared "we have every confidence that the evidence... will vindicate the University's decisions and actions". Yet the withdrawal is seen as vital by Ahmed's supporters. Mr Dee Singh from the Racial Equality Council, representing Ahmed, believes it is "unilaterally opening the doors for a full trial."
Ahmed himself is said to be "stoical, but looking forward to the full trial" late this year. Tom Paulin, however, spoke more openly, telling the OxStu that Ahmed had "spent two years in hell, and will be for many months." Both sides remain confident that they can win the case.