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Sexual harassment case filed against former minister

The Trivandrum police on Monday registered a case against former Kerala transport minister A Neelalohithadasan Nadar for alleged "sexual and official harassment" of the senior woman bureaucrat.

Police sources said a complaint had been registered at the Museum police station. Though the alleged victim, Nalini Netto, had filed no formal complaint, the police registered the case on the basis of her complaint to Chief Minister E K Nayanar on February 9.

Following the allegation, Nadar resigned from the cabinet on February 12.

In her five-page complaint, Nalini Netto described how the minister had misbehaved with her in his chamber in the legislature complex on December 21, 1999 where she went there in the afternoon on his request for a discussion on some official matters.

Last week, the chief minister forwarded the complaint to Chief Secretary M Mohan Kumar for "actions as per law".

This case was filed in addition to the judicial inquiry already announced by the Kerala government. The chief minister had already clarified that both the judicial inquiry and criminal case could go on simultaneously.

The chief minister's office forwarded the complaint to the police in view of the Supreme Court guidelines on cases regarding sexual harassment in the workplace.

The case was registered under section 354 which states, "Whoever assaults or uses criminal force to any woman intending to outrage, or knowing it to be likely that he will thereby outrage her modesty, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or both."

UNI

EARLIER REPORTS:
Kerala orders judicial probe in Netto case
Judicial probe against Nadar opposed
Sex scandal forces forest minister to go down

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