Students found guilty of abusing a woman teacher in filthy language on phone and texting obscene messages to her for attempting to enforce discipline in the institution can be expelled from the college, the Madras High Court Bench here has ruled.

Dismissing writ appeals filed by two students of Government Law College in Tiruchi, a Division Bench of Justices R. Sudhakar and V.M. Velumani rejected the argument that expulsion from college would amount to imposing a punishment disproportionate to the misconduct.

“The appellants are not eligible for leniency… In view of the serious misconduct deliberately done by the appellants and others against their professor, the principal has rightly imposed the punishment of expelling them from the college,” the judges said.

They pointed out that the students had abused an assistant professor who was also the deputy warden of the college hostel since she objected to them having gifted mobile phones to some girl students. A police inquiry revealed that the students were in possession of as many as 11 SIM cards.

The police booked two of the students under the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 1998 as well as the Information Technology Act, 2008 and arrested them.

Subsequently, two of their room mates attempted to destroy the evidence by breaking their mobile phones and SIM cards.

“These admitted facts clearly reveal that the appellants colluded together and committed serious misconduct which is also a serious criminal offence,” the Division Bench said and held that the charges were proved in the internal inquiry conducted by the college management.