Congress MP Bimol Akoijam gets interim relief from arrest in sexual harassment case

A Delhi court Tuesday granted interim relief from arrest to Congress MP and professor Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, who was dismissed from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), in connection with the sexual harassment case against him.

Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh said that no action will be taken against Akoijam till November 5, when the matter will be heard next. Judge Singh was hearing an anticipatory bail plea filed by Akoijam and sought a response from the Delhi Police on the plea.

This comes a day after the Delhi High Court on Monday stayed his termination from service after he challenged it. Akoijam, the Congress Lok Sabha MP from Inner Manipur, had received transit anticipatory bail from a court in Manipur.

His counsel told the court that he had joined the probe and has been cooperating. On October 9, Akoijam, who was associated with JNU’s Centre for the Study of Social Systems under the School of Social Sciences, was dismissed following an inquiry into the sexual harassment allegations by around 10-12 students.

The FIR, dated October 11, was registered at Vasant Kunj North police station under charges of sexual harassment, making sexually coloured remarks, and word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman, based on a complaint by the Chief Security Officer at JNU.

As per the FIR, the alleged incidents took place between July 2025 and May 2026 at the Centre for Studies of Social System, and other places. As per the FIR, the university’s Internal Committee assessed the allegations of sexual harassment after examining the complainants’ accounts, witness statements, defence witnesses and other materials on record.

The letter from the JNU official flagged the committee’s cumulative assessment, which stated that it does not consider the above incident in isolation, but “a recurring pattern of inappropriate personal interaction, sexually suggestive conduct, and unwelcome physical contact”.

In September, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad had staged a protest against the professor and demanded his suspension and dismissal from service. Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district court...

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