The Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta (IIM-C) has decided to allow second-year student Paramanand Toppannawar, out on bail in a rape case, to attend classes.
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the institute’s academic council on Friday.

Toppannawar, 26, was granted bail by a local court on July 19, a week after he was arrested for allegedly raping a young woman in his hostel room.

“He (Toppanawar) is a student, and he cannot be punished until the court pronounces him guilty. After taking legal advice, the academic council decided to allow him to attend classes,” a senior official of the institute said on Sunday.

At the council meeting, chaired by IIM-C director-in-charge Saibal Chattopadhyay, it was also decided that Toppanawar would be granted access to the library. However, a decision on whether to grant him compensatory attendance for the days he missed classes while in jail (July 12-22) will be made later, the official added.

Toppanawar is likely to attend classes from Monday.

According to sources, Toppannawar had visited the campus with his mother on the day of the meeting and submitted all his documents – the bail order and a letter seeking permission to resume classes. His request to return to his hostel room was, however, not granted by the council.

“Since the investigation is on and his hostel room has been locked by the police, Toppanawar will not be allowed to stay in the room allotted to him. Also, the hostel where he used to live is a co-ed one, and women residents have expressed concerns about their safety. That is why the authorities have asked Toppannawar not to stay on the campus until the investigation is complete,” the official added.

Sources said that Toppanawar has rented a flat near the campus and is living there with his mother.

Toppanawar was arrested by Kolkata Police from the institute’s Joka campus after a woman, who claimed to be a psychologist, in her complaint to the police, had alleged that he called her to the campus on July 11 for a “counselling session”. The woman alleged that she lost consciousness and was raped after she consumed spiked food and water offered by the accused in a hostel room.

Granting him bail, the court observed that the woman complainant had failed to record her statement before a magistrate on three occasions. The court has also pulled up police for not recording her statement or conducting her medical tests.