Allahabad University teacher faces 15 lakh fine for false SC/ST Act cases against colleagues

Pronouncing the verdict, the Allahabad High Court noted that the complainant used to file cases against seniors and superiors who told her to impart her duties better

An Allahabad University teacher was fined Rs 15 lakh by the Allahabad High Court in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, for bringing frivolous complaints under the SC/ST Act against three senior colleagues, and overruled the FIRs she filed on Friday, February 23.

The court said the complainant, an assistant professor from the economics department, knew the law extremely well and “had been abusing the provisions of the law for personal gain”, according to PTI.

Professors Manmohan Krishna, Prahlad Kumar, and Javed Akhtar filed petitions against her complaints, which Justice Prashant Kumar approved.

“This is a case where there is pure abuse of process of law where the complainant just to wreak personal vengeance against the Head of Department tried to implicate him and his colleagues by filing false and frivolous cases,” the court observed after hearing the parties.

The court pointed out that the complainant would file a complaint against her seniors, heads of department or professors when they asked her to teach properly and to take classes regularly.

”This is not one of the first cases which happened. The complainant, who is a well-educated lady, knows the provisions of law very well and she had been abusing the provisions of law for personal gain,” added the court.

Imposing an amount of Rs 5 lakh in each case, the court said, “Because of the filing of frivolous cases, the reputation and public image of the applicant and his colleagues, who are Professors and people with high morals and reputation, had been tarnished. They had to run from pillar to post from Police Station to Court to save themselves.”

On August 4, 2016, the economics department assistant professor lodged an FIR at a police station that she was insulted and harassed by the three professors and they had used words related to her caste while scolding her.

Later, police submitted a charge sheet in the case, after which the court issued summons against the professors which were challenged before the high court.

Allahabad University teacher faces 15 lakh fine for false SC/ST Act cases against colleagues