Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, May 9: A principal of Kendriya Vidyalaya in Bengaluru who was removed from the job for allegedly sexually harassing girl students was recently acquitted in the case, due to lack of 'clinching evidence'.
The court found that the case against the former principal Kumar Thakur was weak and the charges against him were a result of professional jealousy from his colleagues.
Complaints against Thakur surfaced on January 2017. Students of class 10 and 12 accused him of asking them lewd questions, while teachers complained that he sent them lewd WhatsApp messages.
Following the complaints, Thakur was removed from his position in Bengaluru and transferred to a school in Karwar and another in Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu. However, parents of students studying in Karwar and Tamil Nadu schools protested and he was removed.
A case was registered against Thakur under section 354(A) (sexual harassment) of the IPC and sections 11 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
However, additional city civil and sessions judge Justice Susheela acquitted him of all charges. She noted ‘delay in filing complaint’ and ‘lack of clinching evidence’. In her order she concluded that the school’s vice-principal Bhagya Lakshmi and teachers Geetha and Ullas conspired to sabotage Kumar Thakur’s career using a POCSO case due to professional jealousy.
The timeline of the case filed and the investigation process had several lacunae. Though the alleged incident happened on December 26, 2016, it was only on January 14, 2017 that the girl’s family contacted child helpline.
According to the complainant, a class 12 student, Thakur called her to his chamber and asked if she has a boyfriend, her sex life and suggested she use sex toys.
The childline official filed police complaint on January 25 and it was registered on January 30, 2017.
Failure on the part of investigating officer in following due process and also proper process not being followed while recording the girl’s statement before magistrate was observed by the court.
The court observed that the complaint came at the same time when Thakur was selected to go for an International Principals' Conference in February 2017.
The court noted that the victim and her sister met Bhagya Lakshmi and Geetha at a restaurant.
The defence argued that the teachers influenced the students to file a false complaint in exchange for marks.