Nirmala Devi had 'illegal intimacy' with both the accused and had promised to please them by 'providing' her own college students for sexual favours
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A woman assistant professor arrested months ago for alleged attempt to sexually exploit girl students now faces the serious charge of trafficking, police have apprised the Madras High Court. The probe revealed that the woman, Nirmala Devi, conspired with two other men, Murugan and Karuppusamy, who are also accused in the case, to deceive and seduce girl students for sexual exploitation, the CB-CID police told the court. Nirmala Devi had 'illegal intimacy' with both the accused and had promised to please them by 'providing' her own college students for sexual favours.
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The CB-CID, which took over the case in April last, had booked Professor Murugan of Madurai Kamaraj University and Karuppasamy, a research student in the case. She had on various occasions induced four girl students for sexual exploitation. In light of such revelations, the case has been altered to include trafficking, sexual harassment, conspiracy (IPC), and relevant provisions of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act and the Information Technology Act.
If convicted for trafficking more than one person, it is punishable with rigorous imprisonment for a minimum of 10 years and could extend to life imprisonment as per IPC 370 (3) read with 370 (1), a charge now Nirmala Devi faces. Additional Police Superintendent, Special Investigation Division of CB-CID, S P Lavanya in her status report submitted yesterday to a division bench of justices Huluvadi G Ramesh and K Kalyanasundaram detailed the new provisions invoked against the accused.
The infamous sleaze episode allegedly involving the college professor became sensational in Tamil Nadu when it unfolded in April. The status report was filed in response to a PIL by D Ganesan of the Revolutionary Students' Youth Front seeking a direction to constitute a special investigation team comprising women police officers to probe the case. Lavanya submitted that based on the confession of the accused Nirmala Devi during the investigation and statement of witnesses, it was found that two others namely Murugan and Karuppasamy were involved in this case.
"Murugan and Karuppasamy had asked Nirmala Devi to seduce young innocent college girls to offer sexual favours to them. Thus they tried to sexually exploit the girls", she submitted. Lavanya, who is the investigation officer in the case, further submitted that with the assistance of cyber crime cell, the call data records (CDR) of Nirmala Devi, Karuppasamy and Murugan were obtained from the Mobile Service Providers. They were analysed and relevant evidence of the conspiracy between the three accused was established.
Recording the submissions, the bench referred the PIL to the first bench headed by Chief Justice VK Tahilramani since it holds the portfolio of PILs relating to rights of women. Nirmala Devi was arrested on April 16 after an audio clip in which she purportedly told some girl students "to adjust with some officials" for higher marks and money went viral on the social media.
The assistant professor was working with the Devanga Arts College in Aruppukottai, affiliated to the Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU). She was suspended after the scandal came to light. She, however, had denied any sexual angle to her advice and claimed she had made it "in the right spirit" and not with any hidden agenda or motive.
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