HC seeks JNU response to plea challenging clean chit to professor

The Delhi High Court on Friday asked Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to reply to a plea challenging the university's Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) report which has given a clean chit to a professor accused of sexually harassing several women students.

Justice Suresh Kait issued notice to the university and professor Atul Johri and listed the matter for further hearing on May 3.

The court was hearing a plea filed by the complainants through advocate Vrinda Grover who has sought suspension of the professor.

The plea has also sought the quashing and setting aside of the report dated July 23, 2018, prepared by the ICC.

The ICC has given a clean chit to the professor and stated that the professor posed no threat to the complainants and instead was facing threats from the students who complained against him.

On May 29, 2018, the court directed the committee to take a decision on the suspension of Johri after examining the material on record and ordered that the professor would have no access to Laboratory No. 409 of the Department of Life Sciences.

It has also passed the direction that the professor should not take charge as warden of any women's hostel on the JNU campus.

On March 16, 2018, police had registered one FIR based on nine complaints. Later, they registered eight FIRs against Johri on separate complaints of nine students who alleged that he sexually harassed them in a lab of the Department of Life Sciences.

--IANS

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