A panel probing a complaint of sexual harassment lodged against a contractual teacher by a student of Scottish Church College has recommended that the teacher be sacked.

The panel submitted its recommendations to the college authorities last month.

The college had suspended the teacher in December when the complaint was lodged.

The principal had then said they would await the report of the internal complaints committee before taking further action.

On Sunday, the complainant said that the committee recommended termination as they found substance in the allegations that she levelled.

The governing body of the college which met on February 28, however, did not act upon the recommendations as the accused after going through the committee’s recommendations appealed to the college authorities to reinvestigate the complaint.

The governing body has constituted a committee and has asked it to submit its findings within 90 days or before whichever is earlier, said a member of the body.

The member said that once the newly appointed committee gives its report, the college will announce its decision.

When contacted, Madhumanjari Mandal, the principal of the college told Metro: “Whatever the governing body has resolved follows the rule”.

When asked whether the college has not undermined the authority of the statutory panel (ICC), by not acting upon the recommendations, she said: “We have acted in accordance with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act)”.

The Act is a law that protects women from sexual harassment in the workplace.

The complainant said: “It is true that the panel has recommended that the person against whom I had lodged the complaint be sacked. This means they have found veracity in my complaints. I have full faith in my college authorities in getting justice”.

Calls from Metro on Sunday to the accused teacher did not elicit any response.

Metro reported on December 6 last year that the faculty member who had been suspended is a state-appointed contractual teacher (SACT) and stands accused of sending lewd texts to the second-year student.

According to the rules, once a teacher is suspended, he or she gets fifty percent of the salary in the first three months.

If the period of suspension exceeds three months, then the suspended teacher continues to get 75 percent of the salary.

A college official said since the suspended teacher was appointed by the state government, the education department has stopped paying his salary.

“The college is paying from its own coffer the amount that he is entitled to get during the period of suspension. We are awaiting the report of the new committee to decide on the next course of action,” the official said.