Sexual harassment case: Prof barred from entering Madras Christian College

Justice S Vaidyanathan gave the interim direction based on a submission made by the college that the professor, Samuel Tennyson, was trying to create trouble after the allegations against him surfaced.

“Though serious allegations are made against Samuel Tennyson, MCC is willing to disburse salary to him without extracting any work from him. Hence, this court directs Samuel not to enter the college until further orders of this court,” Justice Vaidyanathan said.

The judge also made it clear that if the court were to find him not guilty of the charges, the period of his absence should be treated as on-duty.

Samuel had moved the plea seeking to call for the records pertaining to the findings of the Committee of Enquiry (Internal Complaints Committee) and the consequential second showcause notice issued on May 24, and quash the same.

ICC report had stated that “...it is the unanimous finding of the committee that the actions of Raveen and Tennyson did constitute sexual harassment by creating a hostile work/study environment that resulted in gender discrimination against complainants.”

The issue relates to multiple allegations of sexual harassment levelled against the two professors in the Zoology department of the college by the students. In February, the two professors had accompanied a group of 50 students to Karnataka for an excursion, when they allegedly sexually harassed many of the girls.