Panel clears Gautam Buddha varsity dean of sexual harassment charge
As per the findings of the committee, the allegations made against the dean, whose identity has been withheld to protect the identity of the victim, did not fall under the purview and guidelines for handling sexual harassment in the workplace
The internal complaints committee (ICC) investigating the alleged sexual harassment of a PhD student by a dean of Gautam Buddha University has concluded that the case does not fall under the purview of sexual harassment, the college administration said on Monday.
The development comes days after the sister of the victim registered an FIR with the Noida police, stating that the internal complaints committee has failed to submit its report within the stipulated 90 days.
The ICC was set up more than three months ago after the sister of the complainant alleged that the latter was called to the dean’s office on the university premises on June 8, and when she went there, he spoke “obscenely” to her.
As per the findings of the committee, which was shared with the vice-chancellor and registrar of GBU as well as with the complainant and the respondent, the allegations made against the dean, whose identity has been withheld to protect the identity of the victim, did not fall under the purview and guidelines for handling sexual harassment in the workplace as stated under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013.
“The committee wants to clearly state that the incident does not involve or fall under any form or act of sexual harassment,” the report said.
The committee, while making this observations, has further recommended that another committee be set up to delve into the academic aspects of the case and the PhD student, which the college administration indicated was “irregular.”
“The dean in question had already been asked to not serve his post at the department concerned at the time the inquiry was set up. That will continue to remain the case unless the academic committee comes up with further findings. Also there are certain points against the PhD student, academically, which the committee has already found and will be investigated in due course,” an official from the college administration said, while asking not to be named.
If the ICC finds a complaint to be false or malicious, it has the authority to recommend disciplinary action against the complainant, but this action is only taken when clear evidence of intentional deceit is found, said sources.