Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Mar 22: A division bench of the state high court (HC) has issued an interim stay against the order of the single judge bench of the high court which had cancelled the second show cause notice issued to a professor of Mangalore University, Dr U Arabi, seeking an explanation as to why he should not be dismissed from service as the charge of sexual harassment levelled against him was found to have been proved.

A division bench of the HC comprising Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice S Vishwajit Shetty which took up an appeal filed on behalf of Mangalore University for consideration, passed an order granting stay for the said order that had quashed the show cause notice.

Dr U Arabi is a professor of economics in Mangalore University. A girl student had levelled sexual harassment complaint against him. Arabi had responded to the notice issued to him relating to the complaint. But the university, not convinced by his reply, formed an internal complaints committee under the Sexual Harassment of Working Women (Regulation) Act. The committee which went into the complaint, found Dr Arabi guilty and submitted report accordingly.

The university syndicate accepted the report and adopted the proposal to dismiss him from service. Seeking his response to the proposal to dismiss him, he was suspended and issued with second show cause notice. Dr Arabi had questioned this second show cause notice. The single judge bench of the high court had quashed the second show cause notice against which the university had gone on appeal.

Advocate Arun Shyam appeared on behalf of the university and placed arguments.