College sex scandal: Ex-IAS officer submits report to Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit

Retired IAS officer R Santhanam who was probing the college sex scandal involving assistant professor Nirmala Devi on Monday evening submitted his inquiry report to Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit at Raj Bhavan.

Santhanam was appointed by the Governor to probe into the issue of the assistant professor of Devanga Arts College in Virudhunagar district who allegedly attempted to lure four of her students to yield to sexual urges of high ranking officials of Madurai Kamaraj University in return for money and academic progress.

The one-man commission headed by the retired bureaucrat began his probe on April 19 in Madurai. He submitted the report to the Governor on Monday. However, a vacation bench of the Madras High Court has directed the state government to keep the one-man commission report in a sealed cover and await further orders from the court on June 6. The court passed the order in connection with a PIL in which the petition has expressed an apprehension that the report by the retired bureaucrat may scuttle the CBCID investigation into the issue.

The 19-minute audio conversation of Nirmala Devi with the four students went viral and stirring a huge controversy. Despite the students clearly turning down her offer, she kept on insisting them to consider it and stating that they were high ranking officials of the university who want the students to get certain things done.

Dropping the name of the Governor, she said, "...You might have seen the video of the Governor's visit which I had given you. The higher official I am referring to is not the Governor, the old man, but someone of that stature."