Suspended for protest, scholar gets court help

A research scholar, eking out his livelihood by working as a parota master in a restaurant following his suspension by the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University in Tirunelveli after he led an agitation by girl students against sexual harassment allegedly by an assistant professor of the University, got temporary relief with the Madras high court staying his suspension.

Passing interim orders on a petition filed by Mr Mohamed Khan, a research scholar (Ph.D senior research fellow) in the Department of Criminology-History at the University, Justice D. Harparanthaman said, “I am of the view that the FIR itself has to be viewed with suspicion. Both the suspension order and the showcause notice are solely based on the FIR. Hence, I am of the view that both the suspension order and the showcause notice are liable to be stayed. Accordingly, there shall be an order of interim stay”.

According to Mohamed Khan, he sought details of the transaction of funds of an organisation called SASCV in the University and also the illegal absorption of assistant professors in the university by filing an application under the RTI Act. This led to filing of a false complaint with the police against him by assistant professor Dr Jai Shankar in the department of criminology.

In his complaint, Dr Jai Shankar has stated that on August 12, 2015, the petitioner led the PG girl students in an agitation against one Vinoth Vincent Rajesh, an assistant professor, alleging that he was involved in sexual harassment. He also alleged that on September 1, 2015, while he was with three other assistant professors in his chamber, the petitioner questioned him as to how he supported Vinoth Vincent Rajesh and abused him.

The police registered an FIR on September 25, 2015 and sent a letter informing the same to him on September 27, 2014. Thereafter, on October 1, 2015, he was suspended by the University and on December 17, 2015 a showcause notice was issued to him by the University, alleging that he had threatened Jai Shankar by showing a small knife.