Three assistant professors of Women’s Christian College in Nagercoil have sent petitions to the District administration including the Collector and Superintendent of Police seeking action against the management of the college for not crediting their salaries for the months of February and March. They have also accused the Correspondent of the college of demanding ‘bribe’ to process their applications.
According to the petition, a copy of which TNM has read, the college has violated the order of the Government of India, which directed employers to not withhold salaries of their employees in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “All the employers, be it in the Industry or in the shops and commercial establishments, shall make payment of wages of their workers, at their workplaces, on the due date, without any deduction, for the period their establishments are under closure during the lockdown,” the union government order dated March 29 stated.
Three assistant professors in the Department of Physics -- Sharmila Justus, Beuno and Shyniya -- were not paid salaries for the months of February and March 2020. As per the complaint letter, the college management had allegedly asked for a bribe of Rs 2000 from 21 assistant professors in the college in December 2019 who were due for ‘Qualification Approval’ process at the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, under which the college has been affiliated. For this, it is mandatory for the college authorities to sign off the applications made by the assistant professors before submitting it to the university for approval with a fee of Rs 2000 which is to be paid to the university through a demand draft.
However, the complainants have accused the Correspondent, Asir Packiya Singh, of demanding a bribe of an additional Rs 2000 in cash, from each applicant to sign on the application. This, say the complainants, was paid by 18 applicants. Despite repeated attempts made by them, the college management has not budged from its position. The three professors have also written to the CSI Kanyakumari diocese, informing them of the illegal demand for bribe by the Correspondent. In that complaint, they state that the Correspondent told the assistant professors that the additional Rs 2000 would go to the college fund.
Speaking to TNM, Shreenath, the SP of Kanyakumari district confirmed the receipt of the complaint letter and said that no FIR has been registered yet. “It is an internal matter and the college authorities told us they are discussing with the complainants about the matter. Hence we have not registered an FIR on it,” he said. He also added that since the correspondent had given receipts to the other professors who had paid the Rs 2000 demanded by him, it is a processing fee and not a bribe. “It is an administrative matter.”
All three complainants were unavailable for a comment on the matter.
Speaking to TNM, Rev AR Chelliah, the Bishop of the CSI Kanyakumari Diocese said that the claims of the professors are valid and that despite instruction from the executive committee of the diocese to not collect college funds from professors, the Correspondent has remained adamant. “Any decision on this will be taken only after April 14 since now we cannot call for a meeting on the issue,” he said.