Madurai: A 13-year-old girl student, a victim of sexual abuse in Theni, moved the court on Wednesday against granting anticipatory bail to the school headmaster, the perpetrator of the crime.
The headmaster, S. Ravichandran, is under suspension now. Mylanduparai police registered a case against Ravichandran under section 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012 and various sections of the Indian Penal Code for sexually abusing the girl students who studied at Kamakallur Panchayat Union Middle School, Andipatti in Theni district, for nearly seven years.
He abused particularly those who studied in classes 7 and 8, said the petitioner. She and two other girls who were unable to withstand his sexual torture, informed their parents who alerted Child Helpline, said the girl.
Though Child Helpline officials lodged a complaint with police on February 13, 2017, police had not taken any action against the headmaster so far, the petitioner lamented. After the girl’s parents and villagers took up the issue with the district collector and the superintendent of police, Theni, the district education department conducted an inquiry on November 6 this year and confirmed that the headmaster had physically exploited the girl students, said the petitioner, adding that ever since this issue had come to light, the headmaster had gone on leave and stopped coming to school.
After the district Child Protection Board also conducted an inquiry on November 30, headmaster Ravichandran was placed under suspension. He had filed an anticipatory bail petition in the court, apprehending police arrest, said the petitioner. After examining the petition, Justice M Dhandapani asked the government pleader why police had not arrested the headmaster so far. The GP responded stating that the headmaster had attempted suicide and was discharged from the hospital recently. Recording this submission, the judge posted the next hearing to December 20.
