Rs 3 Lakh High Court relief for women abused by police

Chennai: The state government on Tuesday informed the Madras high court that it would  look into the matter relating to the payment of compensation of Rs 3 lakh as per a 2013 notification, to two migrant Rajasthani women and two children, who were subjected to sexual assault by a police constable on October 8 at the police control room in Hosur and have the amount paid to them.

Government pleader S. T. S. Moorthy stated this when a public interest litigation (PIL), filed by U. Vasuki, national president of the All India Democratic Women’s Association, came up for hearing before a division bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M.M. Sundresh. In her PIL, Vasuki, who sought transfer of the investigation to the CB-CID and a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to each of the victims, said  that on October 8, 2013, constable Vadivelu picked up the victims from the Hosur bus stand, where they were selling plastic wares, took them to the Hosur outpost police control room and molested them  while the police said that they were  pickpockets.

M. Rajan, DSP, CB-CID, who took up the investigation following the court’s order, filed a status report, stating that  on October 8, police constable Vadivel picked up the victims and their relative’s children, aged 12 and 13 years, under suspicion. He took them to the police control room, and under the guise of interrogation, beat them, touched them inappropriately, outraged their modesty and  robbed their money by force.

Therefore, he was arrested on December 29 and  remanded to judicial custody. He was currently lodged at Sub-Jail, Hosur. The accused Vadivel admitted his guilt in the presence of witnesses. Investigation was under progress. The victim’s children were outside the state, attending school. They had to be examined further, he added.