Radha Bhatt, a first-year student at King’s College, has written a letter demanding that Universities UK (UUK) admits that its controversial gender segregation guidance is “unlawful”. In November, UUK issued guidance which said it could be acceptable for Muslim societies and other bodies to segregate their members by gender during public meetings on campus. This guidance was quickly withdrawn and put under review after widespread criticism.

A spokeswoman for UUK emphasised that the institution was opposed to enforced segregation, but that where voluntary segregation was concerned, the law was less clear.

Although not seeking to take legal action, Bhatt argues that the “discriminatory” values that might prompt gender segregation have no place in universities, which are “secular, neutral public bodies”. In addition, Bhatt seeks assurance that the guidance will not be resurrected. “These guidelines basically were the UUK capitulating to the views of extreme Islamist speakers”, she said.

She also disputes UUK’s use of the term ‘voluntary’. “[Women] are going to be intimidated by their peers and the speaker themself to conform to what [the speaker] wants to happen. People say ‘voluntary segregation’ – that’s not even a thing.”

Bhatt used the example of racial segregation to illustrate what she perceives as the absurdity of optional segregation.

The UUK guidance prompted outrage from a number of quarters. The Equality and Human Rights Commission announced that the segregation that would be allowed by UUK’s decision contravenes gender equality laws, and a petition opposing the move garnered 8,000 signatures. Prime Minister David Cameron also criticised the guidance, saying that it “urgently” needed to be reviewed to avoid any kind of segregation.

Bhatt has not yet received a response from UUK.