The AP High Court expressed its anger over the TTD administration for not taking effective steps to stop sexual harassment of the junior students by seniors in its Vedic school at Dharmagiri in Tirumala.

Hearing a petition filed by an individual over the continuing sexual harassment of the Vedic students by seniors, the HC asked the TTD administration to deposit Rs. 5 lakh each in the name of harassed students.

The TTD administration informed the court that it has already deposited Rs.4 lakh in the name of a sexually abused student and has taken steps to ensure such incidents are not repeated in the Veda Pathashala.

“In such a case, how come another instance of a sexual abuse of a junior student is reported?” the court asked the counsel for the TTD. It directed the counsel to file its counter by next Tuesday and adjourned the case till Feb 21 for further hearing.

It may be recalled that the famed Veda Pathashala at Dharmagiri in Tirumala hit the headlines last year after a junior student complained to their parents of sexual abuse by senior students. The administration later dismissed four students involved in the abuse of juniors.

It was later revealed that most of the junior students in the age group of 8 to 10 years were also abused by the seniors for several years.

As a remedy, the TTD has provided separate accommodation for the juniors and ordered all the faculty members to stay on the campus to keep an eye on trouble-makers. Each teacher was given the responsibility of 12 students.
However, such sexual abuses seemed to be happening continuously pushing the TTD management to an embarrassing position.

Boys at the age of seven are admitted into the Veda Pathashala and are trained by Vedic Pundits for the next 12 years. They are supported with a stipend of Rs.1 lakh each till they are settled in life. The Vedic school has more than 850 students presently. (JUBS)