Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (NR)
Mangalore, Aug 9: A city court, headed by Second additional district and sessions judge R S Beerannavar, convicted a lecturer of a local dental college here, on Wednesday August 8 for inviegling his student into having an illicit physical relationship with him, under false promise of marriage.
According to the chargesheet, Dr Nanjunda Swamy, while working as a lecturer in the KVG Dental College at Sullia was attracted to a first year dental student. On the pretext of solving her doubts on subjects, he would invite the student to his room during July 2000.
One day without the knowledge of the said student, he laced her glass of juice with some drug and in her unconscious state physically abused her, after which he continued the relationship by promising to marry her. The doctor is reported to have even forced the girl to have an abortion in Puttur.
However, matters came to a head when Dr Swamy decided to marry another girl chosen by his parents, giving an excuse that the student with whom he had relationship belonged to the Scheduled category. This enraged the student enough, to register a case against him, first in Narasimharaj Nagar police station in Mysore in September 2003.
The case registered under the Section on cheating and SC/ST Act was later shifted to Sullia police station. Subsequently inspector Gangireddy filed a chargesheet before the second additional district and sessions court.
In the interim period the beleaguered student unable to bear the tension discontinued her studies and took a transfer to another dental college in Mysore. Dr Swamy too was ordered by the management to resign from his post.
In the course of the court proceedings, special prosecutor V B Naik and public prosecutor Venkataramana Swamy brought before the court 22 witnesses who testified to the fact that they had seen the couple together. Even the doctors who had done the abortion on the insistence of Dr Swamy testified in the matter.
After hearing both the sides, Judge Beerannavar pronounced his verdict and sentenced Dr Swamy to a year's imprisonment and even slapped a heavy fine of Rs 1 lac. Further, while pronouncing the judgement he also decreed that 75% of the fine should be given as compensation to the student.