Thiruvananthapuram: The decision to invite Mukesh M Nair, an accused in a POCSO case, as the chief guest for the 'Praveshanolsavam' at Fort High School was a serious lapse in judgement by the school authorities, according to a report submitted by the Deputy Director of Education (DDE), Thiruvananthapuram.

The report, sent to General Education Minister V Sivankutty, held the school’s Headmaster responsible for the incident. The Minister has assured that stringent action will be taken against those responsible for the lapse based on the DDE report.

Mukesh, a vlogger, had taken part in the school reopening event on Monday, where he was seen presenting prizes to students and participating in the entire programme. Visuals of the event triggered widespread criticism, prompting the minister to order an urgent inquiry.

Junior Chamber International (JCI), the co-organiser of the event, issued an apology, acknowledging the mistake and calling it a misjudgement.

The DDE was directed to investigate the matter and submit a detailed report after it emerged that Mukesh, who is out on bail in a case involving a minor, was present at the government school function.

The POCSO case against Mukesh stems from an incident in April, when the Kovalam Police booked him for allegedly coercing a 16-year-old girl to take part in a social media reel shoot. The girl accused Mukesh of touching her inappropriately and forcing her to act for the video.