Bail denied to Prof arrested on sexual harassment charge

The Karur All Women Police Station arrested professor O Elangovan on March 26, 2019 under Tamil Nadu Women Harassment Act along with SC/ST (POA) Act based on a complaint that the defacto complainant and her college friends were sexually harassed and outraged of their modesty by Elangovan, on March 09, 2019 at the room situated in the college premises for the HOD.

The de-facto complainant had alleged that she and her friends went to the room of the professor for submitting record note. At that time, the professor gave a signal to her to wait there for a while. Thereafter, when she was waiting alone, he closed the door and asked to come near him by showing her identify card. But when she went near him, he wore the identify card through her head in an indecent manner and touched her hip and chest and forcefully touched several parts of her body and kissed her. Due to the unexpected incident, she escaped from the clutches of the professor and came out from the room.

Thereafter, she informed her parents about the incident on March 25 and her father went to the college to complain to the Principal. At that time, the professor threatened her and restrained her to receive the transfer certificate from the college. Subsequently, the classmates of the de-facto complainant also informed the atrocity done to them by the professor leading to the police complaint.

Justice T Krishnavalli before whom the plea for bail came, said, “The investigation is pending. The offence is grave in nature and the case is premature. Hence, at this stage, this court is not inclined to grant the relief as sought for by the professor.” However, the judge offered the professor liberty to file a statutory bail application before the trial Court.