Delhi court halts police action against JNU professor, a Congress MP, in sexual harassment case

A Delhi court on Thursday directed the police not to take any coercive action against Jawaharlal Nehru University Professor Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, who has been accused of sexual harassment by students, Bar and Bench reported.

Akoijam is a Congress Lok Sabha MP from Manipur.

Justice Digvinay Singh directed that the police give Akoijam seven days’ notice before arresting him. The court noted that he had been cooperating with the investigation.

It also observed that the university administration had not provided the names and details of the students who filed the complaints and that their statements were yet to be recorded.

Singh said that if Akoijam failed to cooperate with the investigation, the Delhi Police could approach the court for appropriate directions.

On Monday, the Delhi High Court stayed the October 9 order of Jawaharlal Nehru University dismissing the professor.

The university had said that the allegations against Akoijam had been investigated by its internal committee. Based on the panel’s findings, the professor who taught at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, was dismissed from service with immediate effect on October 9.

Akoijam, who lived on campus, has been accused of inviting students to his residence for gatherings and making sexual advances. Some complainants also alleged that he made lewd and inappropriate comments during classes and viva examinations, including demands for...

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