Hyderabad: Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) director general Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar is facing allegations of sexual harassment and workplace victimisation. A woman professor of ASCI has filed a complaint before the National Commission for Women (NCW) alleging that after she approached NCW, her contract was terminated and she was barred from entering the campus on Monday. She claimed that her office was locked even as the matter remained pending before the commission.NCW has scheduled a hearing in the case on June 3. The professor had first filed a complaint in Oct 2024. An internal complaints committee (ICC) investigated the case at the time but the professor questioned the constitution and impartiality of the committee and contested its findings.Ramesh Kumar denied the allegations, stating that the claims against him were false. ASCI chairman and for Union home secretary K Padmanabhaiah said the ICC had exonerated Ramesh Kumar and that the report had been submitted to NCW on Nov 23, 2024.Prof alleges advances, retaliationAccording to the complaint filed in 2024, the professor alleged that shortly after Ramesh Kumar’s appointment as DG, he made sexual advances towards her. She alleged that after she resisted the advances, he began targeting her, causing severe mental distress.The professor claimed the incident took place during an informal meeting in her office at ASCI. She described the meeting as “highly unusual” as the DG, according to her, did not typically visit faculty offices unannounced. During the encounter, she alleged, Ramesh Kumar spoke about career success and stated that one must “satisfy” him if they wished to succeed in the organisation.The professor stated that her refusal led to a “saga of harassment and victimisation”. According to her, this led to administrative actions, including show-cause notices and her removal as a centre director.In her latest complaint to NCW on June 1, the professor alleged that the conflict escalated when she was physically barred from the ASCI campus on Monday. She claimed that the college gates were closed to her, security was instructed to deny her entry, and her office was locked with her personal belongings inside.She also refuted allegations of unprofessional conduct during an international tour, stating that she had provided honest feedback about poor service from tour operators and was being punished for her integrity.The professor also challenged the chairman’s assertions and alleged that ASCI’s internal committee was improperly constituted in violation of the POSH Act. She alleged that the management was “supporting a perpetrator blindly” instead of seeking justice.DG, Chairman deny chargesResponding to the allegations, Ramesh Kumar denied that he had sought sexual favours and the allegation was “entirely false”. The response he said the DG’s office had been maintained as an “open office” with complete visibility. He also said that standard operating procedures required doors to remain open whenever a lady was present and that a staff member was always within earshot.On the allegation of harassment and administrative retaliation, the DG’s response said he had met the professor once or twice since taking charge about one-and-a-half years ago. According to him, the meetings were specifically to discuss “unbecoming conduct” and correspondence regarding a foreign tour that risked damaging the college’s reputation.A statement from his office described the complaint as an “afterthought” intended to mask what it called a “five-year record of non-performance”. He denied that any show-cause notices were served. He said the professor had received periodic guidance as part of a performance appraisal system aimed at improving her revenue and performance, which were described as “below par”.On the status of the ICC, the DG’s response asserted that the committee was fully functional and aligned with POSH Act guidelines.The response said that after receiving communication from NCW, the ICC gave the complainant two opportunities, on Nov 21, 2024, and Nov 22, 2024, to provide evidence. It said the ICC reported “no merit” in the complaint and that the report was shared with NCW on Nov 23, 2024.On the allegation that the professor was restricted from entering the premises and accessing her room, the DG’s response said her contract had expired on May 31, 2026. It said she was officially informed of the situation and had ample opportunity to remove her personal effects. It added that she would not be prevented from doing so even now.On the allegations of mental harassment by other professors, the ASCI leadership said there was “no truth” to the allegations. The response said faculty performance issues were discussed collectively by the ASCI leadership and a committee of senior deans and not by the DG alone. It said that as a self-financing institution, ASCI required a culture of accountability and performance and that every centre had to function as a cost centre to sustain the college.ASCI chairman K Padmanabhaiah, in his version, said: “ASCI has in place an ICC. The complaint was referred to the ICC. .ICC submitted its report to me on 23rd Nov 2024, exonerating Ramesh Kumar. I submitted the report to NCW on the same date . There has been no communication from NCW for one and a half years. On May 26 2026, my office received a notice from NCW, asking me to attend an online meeting on June 3, 2026.There is no indication in the said notice as to whether the complaint has filed a fresh complaint with NCW.No indication was given about the exact issue for discussion.”Padmanabhaiah further said, “ASCI reviews the performance of the professors periodically. Such a review was due at the end of prof..completing her 59 years of age. In the review, the DG found her performance to be poor and hence he decided to terminate her services at the close on May 31. As chairman, I accepted the assessment.”
