Kolkata professor asked to quit, pay ₹99cr for swimsuit post | India News

Kolkata: The resignation of a St Xavier’s University teacher in October last year over an Instagram post of her in a swimsuit at home has sparked a privacy debate on social media.
Reported by a news portal, the issue is now headed to the courts. The teacher, who has now moved to another state, says she will file a writ petition in the Calcutta HC this month. The university has sought “an unconditional apology” from her and Rs 99 crore in compensation for “causing immense and irreparable damage” to its reputation.

The issue dates to October 2021, when she was asked to report to VC’s office after a student’s guardian complained about her photos. She said she was asked to resign. “The complaint copy wasn’t given to me, I heard what was read out and was asked to quit,” she said.
She lodged a complaint with Jadavpur police station. She also filed a second police complaint seeking a probe on how her posts on Instagram, which should have been accessible only to her close group of friends, were leaked to a third person.
St Xavier’s University VC Father Felix Raj didn’t respond to calls by TOI.
Upal Chakrabarti, assistant professor of sociology at Presidency University, said, “It’s important to find out if her social media expression had affected her teaching duties; if not, then connecting social media expression to professional duties isn’t justified.”