<p>Chennai: A local court in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/tamil-nadu">Tamil Nadu</a>'s Virudhunagar district on Monday convicted Nirmala Devi, the suspended assistant professor of a government-aided college who was accused of luring four girl students to offer “sexual favours” for a top official of the Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU). </p><p>The case sent shockwaves across the state in April 2018 after Nirmala, who was working at the Devanga Arts and Science College in Aruppukottai, mentioned during a phone conversation with the students that she was seeking the favour for a “Governor-level” official. </p><p>After she almost dragged the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/raj-bhavan">Raj Bhavan</a> into the issue, the then Governor Banwarilal Purohit called for a rare press conference to dismiss the allegations and plead that he “never saw the face” of the accused professor. </p><p>T T Bagavathiammal, the judge of the Fast Track Mahila Court in Srivilliputtur, convicted Nirmala on the charges of attempting to traffic four college girls. </p><p>However, two other accused in the case - V Murugan, assistant professor at the MKU and S Karuppasamy, a former research scholar at MKU - were acquitted. </p>.'Kallakkadal phenomenon' threatens Kerala, southern Tamil Nadu coastlines.<p>Nirmala was arrested on April 16, 2018, a day after an audio clip of her luring the girl students to offer “sexual favours” went viral on social media.</p><p>In the audio clip, Nirmala was heard asking the students to “grab the opportunity to do certain things secretly for a top official”. </p><p>The students were clearly “disinterested” in the “proposal”, due to which the professor sounded unperturbed and continued to convince them by flaunting her connections.</p><p>Though Nirmala was suspended from her post in the third week of March after the students filed a complaint with the college administration, there was no further action against her until the audio clip was shared on April 15, 2018. </p><p>The suspended professor was charged under Sections 370 (1) and (3) for a bid to traffic people and 120 (B) for criminal conspiracy of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). </p><p>Nirmala’s arrest and her dropping the name of the Governor led to a major controversy with Purohit appointing a one-man commission headed by retired bureaucrat R Santhanam to probe into the issue. </p>.Tamil Nadu allots Rs 150 crore to handle water scarcity in summer.<p>At a press conference on April 17, Purohit tried hard to explain that he had nothing to do with the conversation between the professor and the girl students. </p><p>“I have not seen her (Nirmala) face till today. Nobody on this earth can level such allegations against me. I am a 78-year-old and am blessed to have my great grandchildren. It is nonsense, baseless and needless. Please remember that the Governor is above politics,” Purohit said.</p>
<p>Chennai: A local court in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/tamil-nadu">Tamil Nadu</a>'s Virudhunagar district on Monday convicted Nirmala Devi, the suspended assistant professor of a government-aided college who was accused of luring four girl students to offer “sexual favours” for a top official of the Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU). </p><p>The case sent shockwaves across the state in April 2018 after Nirmala, who was working at the Devanga Arts and Science College in Aruppukottai, mentioned during a phone conversation with the students that she was seeking the favour for a “Governor-level” official. </p><p>After she almost dragged the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/raj-bhavan">Raj Bhavan</a> into the issue, the then Governor Banwarilal Purohit called for a rare press conference to dismiss the allegations and plead that he “never saw the face” of the accused professor. </p><p>T T Bagavathiammal, the judge of the Fast Track Mahila Court in Srivilliputtur, convicted Nirmala on the charges of attempting to traffic four college girls. </p><p>However, two other accused in the case - V Murugan, assistant professor at the MKU and S Karuppasamy, a former research scholar at MKU - were acquitted. </p>.'Kallakkadal phenomenon' threatens Kerala, southern Tamil Nadu coastlines.<p>Nirmala was arrested on April 16, 2018, a day after an audio clip of her luring the girl students to offer “sexual favours” went viral on social media.</p><p>In the audio clip, Nirmala was heard asking the students to “grab the opportunity to do certain things secretly for a top official”. </p><p>The students were clearly “disinterested” in the “proposal”, due to which the professor sounded unperturbed and continued to convince them by flaunting her connections.</p><p>Though Nirmala was suspended from her post in the third week of March after the students filed a complaint with the college administration, there was no further action against her until the audio clip was shared on April 15, 2018. </p><p>The suspended professor was charged under Sections 370 (1) and (3) for a bid to traffic people and 120 (B) for criminal conspiracy of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). </p><p>Nirmala’s arrest and her dropping the name of the Governor led to a major controversy with Purohit appointing a one-man commission headed by retired bureaucrat R Santhanam to probe into the issue. </p>.Tamil Nadu allots Rs 150 crore to handle water scarcity in summer.<p>At a press conference on April 17, Purohit tried hard to explain that he had nothing to do with the conversation between the professor and the girl students. </p><p>“I have not seen her (Nirmala) face till today. Nobody on this earth can level such allegations against me. I am a 78-year-old and am blessed to have my great grandchildren. It is nonsense, baseless and needless. Please remember that the Governor is above politics,” Purohit said.</p>