8 months ago
4
The Association of University Teachers (AUT) Tamil Nadu has hailed the reconstitution of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of Periyar University successful accordance with the Sexual Harassment of Women astatine Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) (POSH) Act, 2013, University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations, 2015, and authorities directives to sensitise the ICC.
The AUT, successful its practice connected July 29, 2025, to the assemblage administration, stressed the request for reconstitution of ICC.
Association wide secretary, K. Raja, said that the POSH Act, 2013, and UGC Regulations, 2015, barroom the information of either the assemblage heads, authority, oregon officers of the assemblage arsenic members and presiding officers of the ICC, with a presumption to forestall the overlapping of its functioning. Unfortunately, either the heads of the departments oregon members of the syndicate, oregon both, person recovered a spot arsenic subordinate oregon presiding serviceman of the ICCs. Even the basal norm of ‘the presiding serviceman shall beryllium a woman’ had been violated.
T. Poongodi Vijayakumar, who has been the caput of the section and a subordinate of the syndicate, adorned the bureau of the presiding serviceman 4 times, allegedly monopolising the vendetta machinery for the past assemblage administration. While she was the presiding officer, she allegedly threatened the pistillate students, who testified to the Salem District Collector connected the innocence of adjunct prof K. Prem Kumar, the past wide caput of the Periyar University Teachers Association (PUTA), against whom the ICC nether Ms. Vijayakumar was inquiring astir the intersexual harassment complaint, Mr. Raja added.
Stating that the Special District Court for SC/ST (PoA) Act cases verdict proves the innocence of Mr. Kumar, Mr. Raja said that precocious the Court has acquitted and wholly absolved Mr. Kumar from the 4 transgression charges filed nether the IPC and SC/ST (PoA) Act, portion the ICC nether Ms. Vijayakumar submitted an undated study against Mr. Kumar, thereby exposing the vindictiveness with which she had prejudicially acted arsenic presiding officer.
“In this context, the AUT hails the determination of the incumbent assemblage medication successful reconstituting the ICC with R. Vasanthamalai arsenic presiding serviceman of the ICC. The AUT besides urges the assemblage medication to comprehensively inquire into the amerciable ways allegedly employed by Ms. Vijayakumar to victimise the teachers and employees during her term,” Mr. Raja added.
