The Navy has initiated court-martial proceedings against an officer facing charges of sexual harassment leveled by a junior woman officer and reduced his seniority by 18 months. The officer of the rank of Commander (equivalent to lieutenant Colonel) was posted in Vishakhapatnam and the woman officer of the rank of Sub lieutenant (equivalent to Captain in Army) levelled five allegations against him in the court-martial.
While the officer leveled allegations including physical, verbal and sexual harassment, the court-martial headed by a Commodore (equivalent to a Brigadier), however, held the officer guilty only for one out of five charges and ordered his seniority to be reduced by 18 months, officials said on Saturday. They said the court-martial was held last month and found the officer guilty of the charge of “conduct unbecoming the character of an officer.” The woman, who has now quit the Service, was provided a woman prosecutor to help her out in the court-martial.
During the proceedings, two other women including another officer and a civilian data entry operator also levelled charges against the officer.The main complainant, who was a Short Service Commission officer, quit the force after completing only three years of the mandatory seven years of Service.The Navy has now asked her to pay the amount invested in her by the Government as she was sent to do various courses including the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) for completing her studies for becoming an architect, they added.