Chennai: The Karur District Principal Session Court awarded 53 years of imprisonment to a 53-year-old government assistant professor in connection with the sexual harassment charges of five students. In April 26, 2019 the women students of a government arts college in Thanthonimalai in Karur raised sexual harassment complaint against assistant proffessor of Economics department, Ilangovan.
According to a report on ABP Nadu, the college management moved the complaint to Karur All Women Police Station and the police arrested professor Ilangovan. The police also registered five cases under five sections each including sexual harassment under IPC and SC/ST Prevention Of Atrocities Act based on the complaint of the five students.
Even when the professor filed a bail petition in 2019, the student protested in front of the principal chamber and conducted rally near SP office seeking action against the professor for the sexual harassment of the female students. However, when the case came up for hearing at Karur District Principal Session Court, the Court dismissed the bail petition. Following this, the students withdrew the protest.
Also Read | Tamil Nadu: After Eight Months Students Attend Offline Classes As Schools Reopen
Recently, the case once again came up for hearing before the Karur district court and the judge sentenced the accused for 53 years of jail term for all the five separate complaints.
Soon, on hearing the ruling, the students celebrated the judgment by bursting crackers on the court campus. The students also extended their gratitude for the judge and the lawyers who fought the case.
The ruling in favour of the students is likely to pose as a boost to students coming out against sexual predators in schools. In Chennai, even a "me too movement" emerged in schools against several teachers.
(With inputs from ABP Nadu — It is a Tamil platform of ABP News. For more news, commentary and latest happenings from Tamil Nadu, follow https://tamil.abplive.com/)