Chennai, June 7: IIT Madras today lifted the ban on the Ambedkar-Periyar Study Circle (APSC) amid a disclosure that the guidelines that triggered the de-recognition had been publicised after the students allegedly flouted them.

"The APSC representatives conveyed their views to the director in particular, that the guidelines for independent student bodies was (sic) publicised on the (IIT) website on April 18, 2015, while their meeting took place on April 14th, 2015," said a joint statement signed by the IIT director, the dean of students and APSC members.

The statement said the "matter has been closed", putting a lid on the controversy linked to an anti-government pamphlet.

The announcement coincided with the RSS justification of the action against the study circle. Titled Unmasking pseudo-Ambedkarites, the editorial in the latest issue of RSS mouthpiece Organiser said campuses were "afflicted with red ideology" and forums like the APSC were being used for "propagating anti-Hindu and anti-Bharat divisive ideology".

An IIT administrator said that "other than reinstating its recognition", none of the APSC's other demands had been met.

Among the other demands the study circle had set were:

• An unconditional apology from the dean of students for "misuse of official power" (in de-recognising it);

• Scrapping the "undemocratic" guidelines that the authorities had cited while de-recognising the group;

• Official recognition for all the independent student bodies at the institute and permission for them to express their social, economic and political views; and

• Making available to all student groups facilities such as the IIT hall, the IIT's official mail account and a permanent study-cum-meeting room.

The truce followed a meeting between members of the student body and the tech school's director, ending a fortnight-long standoff over the anti-government pamphlet.

The decision came after APSC members met director Bhaskar Ramamurthi yesterday before the IIT's board of students, made up of all the elected student representatives at the institute, discussed the issues raised by the Dalit-dominated study circle.

The APSC was de-recognised on May 24 for distributing the pamphlet castigating the Narendra Modi government's "Hindutva agenda" and economic policies as a curtain-raiser to its celebration of B.R. Ambedkar's birth anniversary at the IIT auditorium on April 14.

The joint statement added that associate professor Milind Brahme would continue to be the APSC's faculty adviser. Brahme had earlier said the students had tied his hands as the pamphlet had been shown to him "just before" the (Ambedkar) programme began.

The joint statement said the study circle's suggestions for modifications to the guidelines would be taken up by the senate for consideration "in due course".

Late last month, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes had sought a report from the IIT seeking its reasons for punishing the study circle following an anonymous complaint to the Centre.

The IIT had claimed that the student group had invited the action by violating the guidelines but it was later found that the guidelines were vague.

Now the board of students has decided to tighten the guidelines so that there is no room for ambiguity in the future.

According to the sources, any material to be circulated by any of the IIT's student bodies would from now on have to be cleared with the body's designated faculty adviser. This was accepted by the APSC.