Delhi HC raps cops for delay in case against JNU professor

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Friday sought the response of police on a plea accusing it of delay in filing of chargesheet in the sexual harassment case lodged against JNU professor Atul Johri by several women students.
Justice J R Midha issued notice to the Delhi Police on the students’ plea and listed the matter for further hearing on October 31.
In their plea some of the students said there is a real and grave apprehension that any delay in completion of investigation will make witnesses, most of whom are young research scholars and students, professionally and socially vulnerable to influence and intimation by the professor.
Filed through advocate Vrinda Grover, the plea said FIR was registered and statements of witnesses were recorded more than a year ago, but no chargesheet has been filed by police.
“Law, public policy and judicial precedent requires that sexual offences against women are handled with utmost sensitivity and investigated into and prosecuted in an expeditious manner, to curb the spiralling graph of sexual violence against women,” it said.
It said this case must be treated with utmost seriousness in view of the fact that there are eight FIRs of sexual harassment and outraging the modesty against the same accused professor.