Go ahead with probe against NIFT director, but don’t file final report: Madras HC

The judge was entertaining a criminal original petition from Anitha seeking to quash the police case registered against her under the provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, based on a complaint from K Ilanchezhian, a senior assistant director at the institute.

The Madras High Court in Chennai. (File)

The Madras High Court on Friday permitted the authorities concerned to go ahead with their investigation on the charges against Anitha Mabel Manohar, director of National Institute of Fashion Technology here, but restrained them from filing the final report on the basis of the probe.

Vacation judge D Bharatha Chakravarthy, who granted the respite, also told the officials not to take any coercive action against Anitha till June 22, when the matter will be taken up again.

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The judge was entertaining a criminal original petition from Anitha seeking to quash the police case registered against her under the provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, based on a complaint from K Ilanchezhian, a senior assistant director at the institute.

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He had alleged Anitha had humiliated him by shifting his office from the main building to the students’ hostel. His office space was allotted to a research assistant who belonged to a ‘higher’ caste’. He also alleged that Anitha had filed a sexual harassment complaint against him, to strengthen her case. The institute’s Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) conducted an enquiry and found the complaint to be false, he added.

In her petition, Anitha submitted the shift followed an administrative decision taken by the headquarters in New Delhi. There was no mala fide intention as alleged by the complainant, Anitha added.

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