In a striking act of dissent during the 32nd convocation of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University on Wednesday, PhD scholar Jean Joseph refused to receive her degree from Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi, walking past him on stage to instead collect it from Vice-Chancellor M Chandrasekar.

A video of the moment, now viral, shows Ravi gesturing for Joseph to stand beside him. She ignores the cue, passing him without pause. The 38-year-old scholar said her decision stemmed from “personal conviction” and not political allegiance, despite being married to DMK leader M Rajan.

“I did not want to get my degree from someone who does not respect Tamil Nadu or Tamil culture,” Joseph was quoted as saying by The Indian Express. “This was entirely my decision — my husband’s politics had nothing to do with it.”

Joseph said she had been contemplating the move for two days, weighing whether it might inconvenience other students. Ultimately, she decided she could not bring herself to accept the degree from the Governor.

Her objections also stemmed from Ravi’s prolonged delay in assenting to the Tamil Nadu Assembly’s Bill seeking exemption from the NEET medical entrance exam — a measure supported by the state government but still pending. “Many young people are aspiring to be doctors and want an exemption from NEET. The Governor sat on that Bill for long,” she said.

Ravi has also been criticised for withholding assent to multiple Bills passed by the Assembly. In April, the Supreme Court declared as “illegal and erroneous” his decision to reserve 10 such Bills for presidential consideration after they had already been reconsidered by the House.

“I hope my decision sets an example for others to stand up to powerful people when they are wrong,” said Joseph, who holds an MBA, a B.Com, and now, a PhD in Human Resources.