HC orders SIT probe into RDVV VC harassment case, slams lax inquiry
filed against the vice chancellor of Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya (RDVV), the MP high court has ordered the formation of a three-member special investigation team (SIT) of senior IPS officers to probe the case.
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A high court bench of Justice Vishal Mishra ordered that the committee be chaired by an IG-rank officer and include a female officer of SP rank. No one from the Jabalpur district will be included in the committee. The single bench instructed the state govt to form the SIT within three days.
It is noteworthy that a female officer posted at the Jabalpur-based university filed a complaint of workplace sexual harassment against Vice-Chancellor Rajesh Kumar Verma.
Due to inaction on the complaint, the aggrieved female officer approached the high court.
The petition stated that on Nov 21, 2024, during a meeting, the vice-chancellor made indecent gestures in his office. He made inappropriate comments and gestures in front of everyone. She requested the CCTV footage from the vice-chancellor's office on the day of the incident under the Right to Information Act, but it was not provided.
During the hearing, the govt informed the single bench that a six-member committee was formed for the investigation, and the CCTV footage from the day of the incident was preserved. However, during the hearing, it was revealed to the bench that the university administration did not present the CCTV footage from the day of the incident to the
.
The university administration informed the committee that the footage could not be downloaded due to a malfunction in the CCTV.
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The single bench ordered the district collector to have the cameras at the university examined by forensic and technical experts.
Upon reviewing the report submitted by the district collector, the single bench found no mention of whether the CCTV camera in the vice-chancellor's room was operational on the day of the incident.
The single bench instructed the committee to present an affidavit examining the seized documents, witness statements, and other elements related to the investigation.
The district collector expressed dissatisfaction with the investigation in the submitted affidavit. The single bench found that the investigation committee showed no interest in gathering evidence during the inquiry.
Despite a serious complaint of workplace sexual harassment by a female employee, the respondent officers acted arbitrarily without conducting a proper investigation.
The petitioner's lawyer argued that the accused was an influential person with high political connections. The court gave the officers an opportunity to conduct a proper investigation, but the submitted report was unsatisfactory.
Advocate Alok Bagrecha represented the petitioner.
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