New Delhi: A Delhi court has summoned a former director of education of North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) in a civil defamation suit for allegedly defaming its two school teachers and a retired principal by leveling sexual harassment charges against them.
The court issued summons to Jasram Kaim, former Head of the Department (Education), NDMC where the two primary teachers are posted, for September 30.
Additional District Judge Kamini Lau's order came on a suit filed by teachers Sandeep Dabas and Mahinder Sharma and retired school principal Kamal Kant Kaushik seeking damages and compensation of Rs 15 lakh from Kaim for allegedly defaming them in a meeting of NDMC's Standing Committee.
The plaintiffs, who claimed to be RTI activists, alleged in the suit that they were defamed in the notings made on the departmental file with regard to the sexual harassment by them, which according to the plaintiffs, had been circulated to the higher officials and other members of the department and also to the Standing Committee.
"In view of the pleadings before me, I hereby direct the summons on the suit to be issued to the defendant (Kaim)... for September 30.
"It is clarified that the issue regarding the immunity available to the defendant, akin to the Parliamentary or Legislative proceedings is left open to be decided at a later stage, in case of any objection by the defendant," the judge said.
The plaintiffs said they are RTI activists who had been working against corrupt public officials particularly of Education Department and are office bearers of Pragatisheel Shishak Samaj, a teachers' organization.
They alleged that they were defamed as they had exposed some misdoings relating to award of seniority and government bungalow to Kaim's wife, who was also a teacher with NDMC.
They also claimed that the organization had unearthed many scams due to which some senior officials of NDMC had a grudge against them and they tried to settle scores with plaintiffs.
The teachers alleged that the officials tried to get a false FIR lodged against them and also tried to suspend them by "misleading the standing committee and other officials of NDMC by making false statements".
The two teachers said they were suspended on June 26, 2014 and are still under suspension and not receiving full salary and the retired principal said he was facing financial problems.
They alleged that the former director had made "false and defamatory statement" against them on June 24, 2014 in his noting/report wherein he alleged commission of "act of sexual harassment" by the plaintiffs. They have also filed a criminal defamation complaint against the defendant.
Seeking damages of Rs five lakh each from the defendant, the three plaintiffs said several news articles were published against them in newspapers and they were defamed and also faced embarrassment.
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