The Madras High Court on Thursday stayed the order of the Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women directing the Loyola College Society to pay ₹64.3 lakh to a former woman employee who levelled sexual harassment charges against a former principal.
Justice Abdul Quddhose granted the interim stay and ordered notices, returnable by February 11, to the Commission, the Director of Collegiate Education and the complainant on the writ petition filed by the rector and vice-president of the college society challenging the Commission’s order to pay her compensation and supposed arrears of salary.
Senior counsel Isaac Mohanlal, representing the Rector, told the court that the complainant was appointed as an Administrator on contract in Loyola Development Office and Alumni Association in July 2010. She served in that position till 2014 and was paid a consolidated amount of ₹30,000 a month.
Later, she was appointed Secretary to the Rector of Loyola institutions, again on contract basis, for the same pay. Her services were terminated on September 3, 2014 and she was offered ₹50,000 in lieu of allowing her to serve the notice period but she rejected the offer.
In 2016, she filed a writ petition in the High Court accusing a former principal, who had held the position of Director of Alumni Association between May 2012 and May 2015, of sexual harassment. Although the writ petition was pending in the court, she approached the Commission and on December 22 obtained an order for payment of ₹64.30 lakh as compensation.
Denying her allegations, the counsel said the woman had launched a smear campaign against the institution which were published in the media. “She seems to be bent upon damaging the reputation of this great institution and maligning the name of the former principal for no reason,” he said.
