By: Express News ServiceMumbai | December 12, 2025 12:18 AM IST 3 min readSpecial public prosecutor Jyoti Sawant opposed the plea, stating that the probe is still ongoing with statements of all victims yet to be recorded. The police, in their response, said the accused's phone is yet to be seized.A 61-year-old professor booked on the charges of alleged sexual harassment at a city college during his appearance as a guest speaker at the institute’s annual festival has filed anticipatory bail, claiming that he was falsely implicated in the case.While the professor questioned the ‘unexplained’ delay of five days in filing the FIR, the police opposed his bail plea stating that his custodial interrogation was necessary. The sessions court is likely to pass an order on the plea on December 19.An FIR was filed at Azad Maidan police station on November 30, on a complaint filed by a female faculty member of the college, alleging that nine students had complained of being harassed by the guest during the event held on November 26. Police said the accused took selfies and inappropriately touched the students.In the pre-arrest bail plea, the professor said he had an apprehension of illegal action or arrest by the police, after he was visited by the investigating officer (IO) at the hospital he is admitted at and woken up to serve a notice. “The applicant is facing serious depression, mental illness and several other medical issues. Even sometime before, the applicant had attempted suicide due to depression and was under treatment with a psychiatrist,” the plea said.The plea further said that he is a permanent employee of the Central Government and the question of being untraced if granted pre-arrest bail does not arise. The plea, filed through lawyer Irfan Ansari, also said he has been working in the profession for more than 35 years and has been invited by thousands of national and international colleges, and till date there has not been a single complaint from any college. He said the complaint could be due to some misunderstanding or due to a personal grudge, and that his custody is not required.Special public prosecutor Jyoti Sawant opposed the plea, stating that the probe is still ongoing with statements of all victims yet to be recorded. The police, in their response, said the accused’s phone is yet to be seized. The accused’s lawyer said the phone has been surrendered by him voluntarily and arresting him is not necessary as he is ready to cooperate with the probe. Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Mumbai