CHENNAI: The three-member committee, constituted by the Health and Family Welfare Department to inquire into the allegations of sexual harassment against a senior faculty of the Government Dental College in Chennai, has found the charges against him to be prima facie true.
After the committee submitted its preliminary report in this regard recently, a senior official in the Directorate of Medical Education and Research said that charges have been framed under Section 17(b) of the Tamil Nadu Civil Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules (which deals with the procedure to be followed for imposing major punitive measures) against I Ponnaiah, the former HoD of the Oral Pathology Department of the college.
The senior official said that, as per norms, an officer will now be appointed to conduct inquiry within 30 days, and the accused person will also be given the opportunity to present his side. The government will take action based on the final report submitted by the inquiry officer.
The professor may even be terminated from service, but it will be the state government’s prerogative to decide on the action to be taken against the accused based on the report, the official said. The professor can approach courts for relief if he is aggrieved with the findings of the inquiry officer and the action taken by the state, sources said.
On May 19, TNIE first reported on the year-long delay in inquiring into the sexual harassment complaints submitted against Dr Ponniah, predominantly by former students of the college. A day later, the DME formed a three-member committee under Dr K Shantharam, Dean of Madras Medical College, to conduct an inquiry. Ponniah was continuing as the head of the department when the report was published. On May 23, Health Secretary P Senthilkumar issued an order, placing him immediately under suspension.
