Tamil Nadu Court To Decide Sentence For Convicted Ex-Professor Nirmala Devi In Student Sex Scandal Today

In 2018, an audio clip surfaced of Nirmala Devi, an assistant professor at Devanga Arts College in Arupukottai, conversing with 4 female students and trying to persuade them into sexual favours.

The incident, which caused widespread shock across the state, even reached the office of the Tamil Nadu Governor. ( Image Source :ABP Nadu )

The fast-track court for women's cases in Srivilliputtur convicted former assistant professor Nirmala Devi for allegedly luring four girl students to perform sexual favours in 2018. However, Judge T.T. Bagavathiammal acquitted two other accused individuals: V. Murugan, an assistant professor at Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU), and S. Karuppasamy, a former research scholar at MKU on Monday. The sentencing for Nirmala Devi is scheduled for Tuesday.

The incident, which caused widespread shock across the state, even reached the office of the Tamil Nadu Governor. During a conversation, Nirmala Devi reportedly also referenced the office of the Governor. However, then Governor Banwarilal Purohit denied any involvement in the crime, according to a report on IANS.

In 2018, an audio clip surfaced featuring Nirmala Devi, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics at Devanga Arts College in Arupukottai, conversing with four female students, attempting to persuade them to engage in sexual favours.

The prosecution alleged that Nirmala Devi urged the girls to comply with the expectations of higher officials at Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai. In exchange, the students were promised higher marks in their semester examinations, financial benefits, and seats at MKU for postgraduate studies.

Subsequently, the four girls filed a complaint with the college authorities, leading to the arrest of Nirmala Devi by the Aruppukottai Town police on April 16, 2018. The case was then transferred to the Crime Branch-CID on April 17, 2018. Following an investigation, the CB-CID also arrested Murugan on April 24 of that year and later Karuppasamy.

Nirmala Devi, Murugan, and Karuppasamy were charged under Sections 370(1) and (3), and 120(B) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with provisions of the Immoral Trafficking Act, Information Technology (IT) Act, and the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.