Mumbai: Bombay high court directed state to comply with an April 2021 order of the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) that recommended payment of Rs 5 lakh compensation to two women by erring officers of Tilak Nagar and Juhu police stations to be recovered by the zonal DCPs and to launch departmental inquiry against them.Justices Suman Shyam and Manjusha Deshpande on Sept 19 having regard to “the facts and circumstances of the case” and also that the state had not filed any reply opposing the prayer in the petition directed MSHRC’s recommendations shall be complied with expeditiously, and not later than three months.The petition was filed by a former zoology lecturer of a Mumbai college seeking direction to the state, through the home department, to implement the MSHRC recommendations in its April 26, 2021 order. While the petitioner was employed as lecturer in 1992, the principal was appointed in 2003. From 2004, she was subjected to sexual harassment by the principal. No action was taken against him despite her addressing 103 letters/complaints. In Dec 2007, her services were terminated. Despite her complaints to Tilak Nagar police station, no FIR was registered. Only after her Sept 2017 complaint to the Prime Minister’s Office, in Dec 2018, an FIR was registered against the principal and a probe began in 2019, as per police reports. In 2020, the principal died and the criminal proceedings abated. Therefore, she filed a complaint in MSHRC.Similarly, on the complaint by another academician alleging sexual harassment by the same principal in Oct 2016, Juhu police registered an FIR in Feb 2019. MSHRC on April 26, 2021 held that both women “suffered violation of their human rights on account of the blatant apathy on the part of the law enforcing agency, which is supposed to be custodian and guardian of the law.” It also held college managements responsible and directed the vice-chancellor to take action against them. The petition said in spite of repeated requests and follow-up for implementation of MSHRC’s order, “no action has been taken till date”.The judges noted that state had not implemented MSHRC’s recommendations and the only issue that would survive in the petition was their implementation.The petitioner’s advocate Aniesh Jadhav, said as the principal had expired, at this stage she only seeks implementation of MSHRC’s recommendations pertaining to payment of compensation and disciplinary action against the errant police officers.
