Nirmala Devi Issue, girl students were told to give whatever the officers demanded… Female professor found guilty in audio leak case, know the whole story – tamil nadu teacher nirmala devi guilty in aruppukottai college sexual favors case

Madurai: In April 2016, a news came out which shook everyone. Questions were raised on the temple of education and the teacher who educates. Questions began to arise in the minds of parents across the country whose daughters study in college. The audio tape of a female assistant professor in a college in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu went viral. This female professor was trying to lure four of her students into sex work. When the matter came to light, it was revealed that she kept an eye on young girls studying in Devanga Arts College. She used to instigate those girls to have sexual relations with senior officers. She used to tell them to do whatever they (officers) say quietly. For this she also lured the girls with expensive gifts and money. When the matter came to light, Nirmala Devi was temporarily suspended but attempts were made to suppress it. When the matter escalated, the police intervened and Nirmala was arrested. Now Srivilliputhur Mahila Court has convicted Nirmala Devi. Nirmala Devi’s case was not small. It came to light that she was supplying college girls to officers. It was said that senior officers were behind it. When the police appeared to be taking a light approach towards the case, CBCID took the case into its own hands.

Names of registrar and VC removed

Based on the confession of Nirmala Devi, two others, Murugan, an assistant professor at Madurai Kamaraj University, and Karuppusamy, a former research student, were arrested. Investigation started on the basis of audio. The name of the then top officer of the university came to light. However his name suddenly disappeared from the list. CBCID has not investigated further. He told the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court in September that Nirmala Devi was wooing young women only for her two associates, Murugan and Karuppuswami.

Threat to life told inside jail

The case was going on in the High Court when Nirmala Devi told the court that her life was in danger in the high security Madurai Central Jail. Questions arose that if Nirmala and her two associates have been arrested, then from whom is Nirmala in danger of her life? In Nirmala’s statement, she had said that the phone calls she made to her students in the sex-for-cash case were made at the behest of Murugan and Karuppusamy. She also said that both of them had asked her to make arrangements for the girl students of the college at the behest of the Vice-Chancellor and Registrar of Madurai Kamaraj University.

Nirmala’s relationship with Murugan

The assistant professor’s confession states that she came in contact with Murugan in search of a refresher course at Madurai Kamaraj University. He was put in touch with Murugan by a common friend, who told him that ‘Murugan was an influential person in the university. She told that in the second week of November 2017, she personally went to Madurai Kamaraj University and met Murugan in his department. Asked them to get me a seat in the refresher course. He immediately said he would contact the registrar’s office. He brought me to the registrar’s office in his car.

Such was the relationship between Nirmala and Murugan.

Nirmala said, ‘Like me, there were two-three other people who had come to the registrar’s office to ask for seats in the refresher course. At that time, Registrar Chinnaiah saw me, and wrote my name in a small piece of paper and put his signature on it, and asked me to go to the HRDC (Human Resource Development Centre) office. However, since many people had applied for the course, he did not get a seat in that round. She says she kept in touch with Murugan, and in the last week of November, Murugan came to her house in Aruppukottai and they both had sex.’

Murugan asked for his daughter

Murugan then asked him if his daughter would be of use to him? Nirmala said that she would not agree. She said, ‘After this, he asked if any college student would listen to me?’ On this, Nirmala Devi claimed that ‘the situation in the college was not right’ and she could not ask the students immediately. There is no mention in the confession as to what Murugan was offering in return.

Relations formed with Karuppasamy

Nirmala Devi said that in March 2018 she went on a path she had never thought of. When she was at MKU for a refresher course, Nirmala Devi met Karuppasamy, a PhD scholar in his 30s and a friend of Murugan. Murugan gives Karuppasamy’s number to Nirmala and asks her to contact him if she needs anything in the university. Karuppasamy introduced him to the Director of Distance Education and gave him the impression that he knew top officials in the university. Nirmala has sexual relations with Karuppusamy. She asked Nirmala if she could make ‘arrangements’ for the college girls? Nirmala tells Karuppusamy that she will try.

Nirmala said that Murugan and Karuppusamy continued to put pressure on her. On March 12, 2018, he sent several SMS to a third-year student in his college and asked her to include three more girl students as well. On March 15, there was a conversation between Nirmala Devi and four students, the audio of which went viral.

‘Took name of Governor to make himself influential’

When the recorded conversation first hit the internet, it created a stir on social media. In the 19-minute clip, Nirmala Devi not only claimed that she was requesting women for a very ‘big official’ in MKU, but also said that she had access to the Governor.
However, in her confessional statement, Nirmala Devi says that she did not know the Governor. The Governor was mentioned just to put pressure on the girl students. He had also sent his photographs with the Governor to the girl students for this reason, although these photographs were of the convocation ceremony.

‘Murugan and Karuppasamy were working for the VC, Registrar’

Going into the details of her phone calls to the students, Nirmala Devi said in her confession that she mentioned ‘higher officials’ in the phone call because she inferred that Murugan and Karuppasamy were acting on behalf of the VC and the Registrar. Nirmala also says that she met Murugan after the audio clip went viral, and asked him to once again talk to the VC and Registrar. Murugan said that because of Karuppusamy both of us have been put in this difficult situation. Please don’t drag me into this. I have already spent a lot of money on VC and registrar. He said he would give me Rs 5 lakh to pay his daughter’s fees. When I asked for Rs 1 lakh, they immediately gave me Rs 50,000. He said he would get me a job at another university.

Why did CB-CID not interrogate VC, Registrar?

The investigation, aimed at exposing the web of alleged sexual abuse within Madurai Kamaraj University, came as a surprise that despite these statements, the CBCID did not interrogate Vice Chancellor PP Chellathurai and Registrar V Chinnaiah.

Karuppasamy surrendered in the Madurai district court on 25 April. Now Judge T. Bhagavatiyammal has acquitted the other two accused, Murugan and Karuppasamy, due to lack of evidence. Nirmala Devi was arrested on April 16, 2018.