Supreme Court declines St Stephen's College plea against its teacher

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a plea of St Stephen's College management against a Delhi High Court order granting interim stay on the proceedings by a fact-finding team of the college against one of its teachers.

A bench of justices M Y Eqbal and C Nagappan said since the proceeding is pending before the High Court, the college can move before it with its grievances for an early hearing.

The apex court passed the order after senior advocate A Marairputham and advocate Romy Chacko, appearing for Stephen's, said they wanted the matter to be heard at the earliest.

Stephen's Principal Valson Thampu had sought to initiate disciplinary proceeding against DUTA President Nandita Narain for comments that she made against him in a newspaper in respect of an earlier case of sexual harassment. Narain had maintained that the newspaper misquoted her.

After the preliminary enquiry was initiated, she had moved the Delhi High Court challenging the probe as well as the constitution of the fact-finding body which was to carry out the exercise.

A single-judge bench of the Delhi High Court, however, had had dismissed her plea. Thereafter, she had moved an appeal before a division bench of high court which on February 2, gave an interim order staying the preliminary enquiry/fact finding proceedings. Stephens moved the apex court against the February 2 order.