Virudhunagar
The Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) on Friday filed the supplementary and final chargesheet in the audiotape scandal case, involving assistant professor Nirmala Devi, accused of approaching college girl students to provide sexual favours for officials of Madurai Kamaraj University.
The 200-page supplementary chargesheet was filed on behalf of the CB-CID Superintendent of Police S. Rajeswari by its Assistant Investigating Officer P. Karuppaiah (DSP) before the Judicial Magistrate Court II here.
CB-CID sources said that no new accused have been included in the case other than Nirmala Devi, assistant professor of Devanga Arts College in Aruppukottai, another assistant professor with MKU, V. Murugan, and a former research scholar of the university S. Karuppasamy. All the three, remanded in judicial custody, continue to be imprisoned without bail since April.
During his last appearance before the court for extension of his remand, Murugan shouted in the corridors of the court building that he was being wantonly kept behind bars. The intention was to force him to end his life, he charged and said that his extended imprisonment will benefit “some” people.
Voice test report
Sources added that the additional chargesheet contained statements of forensic experts, who had made the voice test of Nirmala Devi.
The investigating agency had accused that Nirmala Devi, in her telephonic conversation with four college girls, had tried to lure them into doing sexual favours for higher officials of Madurai Kamaraj University in return of higher marks and money. The audio clip of the conversation went viral on social media after which the police arrested her based on the complaint of the girls.
The CB-CID had filed the 1,165-page preliminary chargesheet in July in which the accused were charged under Sections 370 (1) and (3) (trafficking of persons) read with 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) and 354A (sexual harassment) of Indian Penal Code, provisions of Immoral Trafficking Act, Information Technology Act and Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.
Any further statements of additional witnesses hereafter would be filed before the trial court, CB-CID sources added.
