Thodupuzha: Ten years after being falsely accused in a sexual abuse case, Prof Anand Vishwanathan, who served as the Additional Chief Examiner at Munnar Government College, has finally been acquitted.

During the decade-long ordeal, he was imprisoned for three years and suspended from service. Confident of his innocence, Anand fought relentlessly and ultimately secured a court order absolving him of all charges. In an order issued the other day,  the Thodupuzha Additional Sessions Judge cleared him of all the charges.

The case traces back to 2014, when five female students of Munnar Government College, where Prof Anand was then the Head of the Economics Department, filed a complaint against him with the Education Minister and the Kerala State Women’s Commission, alleging sexual assault between August and September 5 of that year.  Allegations later emerged that the students who conspired to entrap him were supported by certain college authorities, too, including some teachers. It also came to light that the complaint against Prof Anand had been prepared at the CPM office in Munnar.

Reflecting on his ordeal, Prof Anand Vishwanathan said:

“The second-semester economics examination was conducted at the college without following any of the university guidelines. Widespread malpractices, including copying, occurred on that day. Out of the eight students who appeared for the Economics exam, I caught five female students red-handed for copying. Despite my instructions, the invigilator suppressed my complaint following interventions by the CPM district Committee and the then MLA S Rajendran.

Later, I came to know that the allegations of sexual assault were being levelled against me when I returned to the college after the Onam vacation. When I learned that the copying incident was never reported to the university, I directly contacted the university to report it.

The inquiry into the complaint was one-sided. Out of four cases registered, the Devikulam court found me guilty in two, leading to my suspension. But I fought determinedly because I had committed no wrongdoing.”