A Delhi court on Thursday granted protection from immediate arrest to Congress MP and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) professor Angomcha Bimol Akoijam in connection with a sexual harassment case, ordering the police to give him seven days’ notice before taking him into custody.
Special judge Dig Vinay Singh of the Rouse Avenue Courts passed the order while disposing of an anticipatory bail application filed by Akoijam, who represents the Inner Manipur constituency in the Lok Sabha and teaches at JNU’s School of Social Sciences.
The order came after additional public prosecutor Manish Rawat, representing the Delhi Police, said that if incriminating material emerged during the probe, the police would serve a seven-day notice before taking any coercive action
Akoijam was sacked on October 9 following an inquiry by the university’s internal committee into allegations of sexual harassment made by female students, but the Delhi high court stayed the university’s order on November 2.
The case stems from complaints by 16 students in May this year, who alleged that the professor made inappropriate remarks with sexual connotations during viva examinations.
In its status report, the Delhi Police told the court that the FIR against Akoijam was registered on October 11 at the Vasant Kunj North police station under Sections 75 (sexual harassment) and 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
{{/usCountry}}In its status report, the Delhi Police told the court that the FIR against Akoijam was registered on October 11 at the Vasant Kunj North police station under Sections 75 (sexual harassment) and 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
{{/usCountry}}Citing the report of the university’s Internal Committee (IC), police said 16 students had accused the professor of sexually suggestive interactions, unwelcome physical contact with female students, inappropriate personal questions during viva examinations, screening of sexually explicit films in classrooms and irregularities in the conduct of viva examinations.
Police said Akoijam joined the investigation on October 15 after being served a notice and during questioning, provided his curriculum, examination question papers and a list of students taught by him during the relevant semester, besides details of the course content.
The police report said investigators were still scrutinising the documents, and were yet to receive complete records of the university’s Internal Committee inquiry, including original complaints, statements of complainants and independent witnesses, were yet to be received from JNU.
The status report also detailed the transit anticipatory bail protection earlier granted to Akoijam by a court in Manipur, which was subsequently extended on multiple occasions until October 29.