From Palak Paneer to a Court Settlement: How Indian Students Won ₹1.8 Crore in the US

A simple lunch of palak paneer turned into a major legal battle for two Indian students in the United States, eventually leading to a settlement of nearly ₹1.8 crore and the award of Master’s degrees by the University of Colorado Boulder.

The incident dates back to September 5, 2023, when Aditya Prakash, a PhD student in the university’s Anthropology Department, was heating his lunch in a shared campus microwave. A staff member objected to the smell of the Indian dish, describing it as “pungent”, and asked him not to use the microwave. Prakash refused, stating that he was only warming his food and would leave shortly.

What appeared to be a minor disagreement soon escalated. According to Prakash, he was repeatedly called for meetings with senior faculty members and accused of making staff feel “unsafe”. Complaints were filed against him with the Office of Student Conduct. He also alleged that the department refused to grant him a Master’s degree, which PhD students are usually awarded during the course of their programme.

Prakash described the situation as an example of systemic racism, where a cultural practice like eating traditional food became a trigger for prolonged harassment and retaliation.

The impact soon extended to his partner, Urmi Bhattacheryya, who was also pursuing a PhD at the same university. Two days after the microwave incident, she invited Prakash to speak in her class on ethnocentrism, where he spoke generally about his experience without naming anyone. Soon after, Bhattacheryya alleged that her teaching assistant position was taken away without prior notice.

She further claimed that when she and other students brought Indian food to campus on another occasion, they were accused of creating unrest. According to her, the discrimination was not always open but was consistently present, creating a feeling of insecurity and conditional acceptance.

In May 2025, the couple approached the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, filing a federal civil rights lawsuit. They alleged that after raising concerns about discriminatory treatment, the university engaged in continuous retaliation against them.

The case was settled in September 2025. Under the settlement, the university agreed to pay $200,000 (around ₹1.8 crore) and to confer Master’s degrees on both students. However, the university denied any wrongdoing and stated that the settlement did not amount to an admission of liability. As part of the agreement, the students are barred from future enrolment or employment at the university.

By the time the settlement was finalised, both Prakash and Bhattacheryya had decided not to return to the United States. Prakash stated that returning would mean dealing again with visa uncertainty and the same institutional environment. Now based in India, he hopes the case sends a strong message that discrimination based on food and culture should not be tolerated.

In its response, the university reiterated its commitment to inclusivity, stating that it has established mechanisms to address complaints of discrimination and that it followed due process in this matter.