A research scholar at Madurai Kamaraj University who filed a sexual harassment complaint against her research guide and Head of the Centre for Film and Electronic Media Studies, K. Karnamaharajan, has petitioned the Higher Education Secretary, alleging inaction by the university.
The petitioner said that despite the Internal Complaints Committee finding the professor guilty and the Syndicate passing a resolution to terminate his service, he continued to work there.
“The university has gone to the extent of issuing clearance to allow him to apply for the post of Registrar of MKU and Central University of Tamil Nadu,” she told The Hindu .
The complaint was filed in December 2018, alleging emotional harassment, speaking with innuendos, seeking ‘favours’ and taking bribe for guiding herin the research.
The ICC, constituted by MKU, found Karnamaharajan guilty of sexual harassment but did not go into the merits on the allegations of bribery. Following this, the Syndicate of MKU, passed a resolution on February 5, 2018, to send him on compulsory retirement. While this was not enforced, he petitioned different authorities including the Governor’s office, alleging that ICC’s enquiry was done in an unjust manner.
In its meeting in May, MKU passed another resolution to issue a show cause notice to the professor on why action should not be taken against him.
“The law related to sexual harassment demands that action be taken within two months after the ICC submits report. But the university has not acted even after six months. Meanwhile, I had great difficulty finding another research guide even though the university could have found me one,” she said.
Following the issuance of the show cause notice, Karnamaharajan has now approached the court contending that the allegations were baseless and the enquiry was flawed.
He told The Hindu that not a shred of evidence was provided on the charge of sexual harassment. Claiming that the recording of a telephonic conversation in Malayalam was taken as a key evidence, he said that a faculty from University of Kerala, whose opinion was sought by the ICC for translation, did not find anything wrong in the conversation.
“But that opinion was not considered. I am being targeted by vested interests because I belong to a Scheduled Caste community. They do not even want me to apply for senior posts though I have not been proven guilty by law,” he said.
Denying any delays from the university, Vice-Chancellor M. Krishnan said that the process was underway in consultation and guidance from Higher Education secretary and Governor’s Office to take appropriate action.
