A committee appointed and monitored by the Madras High Court will be the appropriate way to enquire into the audiotape scandal involving an Assistant Professor of a Madurai Kamaraj University-affiliated college, said Flavia Agnes, renowned Mumbai-based women’s rights lawyer and co-founder of Majlis, the non-governmental organisation providing legal aid to women.
Speaking to The Hindu during a conference here on Monday organised by the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), she said that the High Court appointed committee was necessary to ensure at least transparency and neutrality in the enquiry. The leak of the audiotape, in which P. Nirmala Devi, an Assistant Professor with Devanga Arts College in Virudhunagar district, allegedly attempting to ‘lure’ four girl students into doing sexual favours at the behest of ‘senior officials’ from MKU, kicked up a controversy.
With Ms. Nirmala Devi mentioning even the Governor’s office in the conversation, many Opposition parties have objected to the Governor constituting a one-man committee to enquire into the issue. “Since the Governor has been mentioned, it is important that the Governor’s office stays out of the enquiry process,” Ms. Agnes said.
Pointing out that the Sexual Harassment of Women at Work Place (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act demanded such investigations to be done by the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) headed by women at the respective institution, she said it appeared that neither the College nor MKU had followed the Act.
“Moreover, in this case, there is ambiguity in the law also about whether the ICC in MKU can enquire into the issue because of the alleged involvement of senior officials in the issue or it should be done by the Local Complaints Committee functioning under the District Collector,” she added.
