Madurai, Oct 3 (PTI) A woman assistant professor arrested for allegedly trying to sexually exploit girl students was denied bail Wednesday by the Madras High Court.

A Madurai bench of the high court denied bail to assistant professor Nirmala Devi and her co-accused Professor Murugan of Madurai Kamaraj University.

The two were arrested along with Karuppasamy, a research student, in April. The trio is presently lodged in Madurai central Jail here.

Rejecting the bail applications, the judge Justice Ilanthirayan asked the trial court to complete the trial proceedings at the earliest by conducting it on daily basis.

The Crime Branch-CID had earlier informed the court that Nirmala Devi, conspired with Murugan and Karuppusamy to deceive and seduce girl students for sexual exploitation.

The court had earlier directed the CB-CID to complete the investigation in six months and file charge sheet. The deadline for filing the charge sheet ended in September and the bail applications were moved against this background.

Nirmala Devi, assistant professor of Devanga Arts College at Aruppukottai, has been charged with seeking sexual favours from some girls students for higher officials of Madurai Kamaraj University in return for marks and money

She was arrested on April 16 after an audio clip in which she purportedly told some girl students "to adjust with some officials" for higher marks and money, went viral on the social media.

She was suspended after the scandal came to light. She, however, had denied any sexual angle to her advice and claimed she had made it "in the right spirit" and not with any hidden agenda or motive.PTI SSN BN RCJ

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