Chennai: An advocate has approached the Madras high court to order a CBI probe into the complaint against professor Nirmala Devi on the grounds that since there is a direct reference to the Governor of Tamil Nadu in the conversation that the lady professor had with her girl students, the judicial inquiry ordered by the Governor will destroy the investigation and evidences. Nirmala Devi was arrested allegedly on April 16 for luring college girl students into sex work.
The Public Interest Litigation filed by advocate G.S.Mani, a practising advocate of Supreme Court, is likely to come up for hearing on April 20. According to Mani, a daily digital newspaper news item averred that the professor was arrested for luring college female students into sex work.
A voice purportedly belonging to her can be heard attempting to lure female students into sex work for highly unknown influential persons in the state authority in an audio shared on social media platforms. Hours after the audio clip went viral, all news networks picked it up and the TN police arrested Nirmala Devi, a faculty member of the Devanga Arts College in Virudhunagar on Monday.
A simple case was filed against her under section 370 (trafficking of persons) IPC and section 67 of the Information Technology Act without involving the other unknown highly influential persons in the FIR. So it was crystal clear that the state police was trying to protect some unknown accused persons who were in the state authority, he alleged.
Mani said the news item says that “In the audio clip of a telephonic conversation, which lasts for close to 19 minutes, Nirmala Devi, an assistant professor associated with the Mathematics department was heard telling students, whose identities have not been made public, that an ‘opportunity’has come their way. And that they are expected to do certain things ‘secretly’ for a very senior official of the Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) to which the college is associated”.
“At one point in the conversation, the professor even claims to have access to the ‘Governor’. I sent you videos of governor coming, do you remember? Certain incidents happen. Governor is not a grandfather. You know how close I was to the Governor. I can now be more liberal, but people outside won't know. If I tell you who it is, you will give me answer faster. They will maintain secrecy and privacy to that level, she is heard saying. So, it was just and necessary that this court may order for court monitoring probe by the CBI to investigate the matter so as to investigate who were all involved in this racket, he added”.
Meanwhile, the Governor has reacted to the controversy. In a statement, TN governor Banwarilal Purohit said, “It is important to enquire into such matters immediately and without prejudice so that the guilty do not escape without punishment. A high powered enquiry has been ordered in the matter. The enquiry will be headed by R.Santhanam, a retired IAS officer”.
It was shocking and surprising that the order for judicial inquiry in a sexual matter in which his name was directly used for commission of offences involved in it. So, it was doubtful, the state police investigation and judicial inquiry ordered by the Governor will destroy the entire investigation and evidences. There was a bright chance of tampering with evidences. Hence, the court monitored CBI probe was just and necessary, he added.
