Sexual harassment charges: 2 IIT-M professors granted anticipatory bail

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to two IIT Madras professors in a case booked by the city police against several individuals including students on a complaint lodged by a Dalit research scholar of IIT-M alleging that the accused had raped and sexually harassed her.

Justice G Jayachandran passed the direction on hearing the anticipatory bail application filed by professor G Edamana Prasad and professor Ramesh L Gardas. The petitioners submitted that they have been wrongly added as the fifth and ninth accused in the case filed by the All Woman Police Station Mylapore in June 2021.

On recording the submissions, the judge granted the anticipatory bail with a condition that the petitioners should not leave the state without getting the nod of the investigation officer. The judge also directed the petitioners to appear before the investigation officer whenever summoned.

Police objected to the anticipatory bail plea submitting that the alleged sexual harassment incident occurred only in the chemistry lab which was under the control of the petitioners.

“The first accused could not have been involved in the act without the knowledge and help of the professors who are responsible to manage the lab,” the police submitted.

The petitioners submitted that the first accused is a student and he should not be treated on par with the professors. The petitioners also submitted that they had cooperated with the police and appeared for investigation all the time when the police had summoned them.