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“Sex for marks” case at Patan: charges framed against 6 teachers

AHMEDABAD: Charges have been framed against all the six accused teachers in the “sex for marks” scandal at the Patan teacher training college.

The teachers will face trial on multiple charges, including mass rape, outraging the modesty of a woman, criminal conspiracy and possession of obscene materials. Four of them will face even a very serious charge as the victim is a Dalit.

The seventh accused, Kiran Patel, would be facing the charge of unnatural sex.

The Patan fast track court would consider a bail application moved by him claiming innocence and that he was framed.

The “sex for marks” case had shocked the academic world after it came to light that a Dalit girl student was subjected to repeated sex by a group of teachers in the government primary teachers’ training college at Patan in Mehsana district in north Gujarat.

The student said that seven teachers had been forcing her to have sex with them for the last six months.

She said they had threatened her to fail her in the internal examinations if she dared to refuse.

Only after the case was taken up by the National Women’s Commission and other statutory bodies did several other students of the women’s training college reveal that they too were subjected to sexual harassment.

The incident led to the criticism of the State government for keeping all-male teaching staff in the women’s college.

It also forced the State government to change the examination pattern.

On the recommendations of an experts’ committee appointed to study the situation, the state government about a fortnight back decided abolish the internal markings system in the teacher training colleges to avoid such exploitation of students.

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