Plea in Madras high court seeks women’s team to probe Pollachi case

Chennai: The Madras high court has ordered notice to the state government and DGP on a plea seeking constitution of a fact finding team headed by a senior woman advocate and a retired woman police officer and another social worker to find out the facts in the Pollachi sexual abuse case. They also sought direction to authorities to transfer the probe to Special Investigation Team.

The First Bench headed by Chief Justice VK Tahilramani and Justice M. Duraiswamy has admitted a plea moved by 10 women lawyers.

 They sought a direction from the court to constitute a 'fact finding team' headed by a senior woman advocate and a retired woman police officer and another social worker to find out the facts in the Pollachi sexual abuse case.

The women advocates including S Meenakshi, V Porkodi and R Radhika, also sought for a direction to the government to constitute a complaint committee led by a senior woman advocate and comprising office-bearers of the women lawyer association and other interested women lawyers.

 The committee may be directed to make arrangements to assist women in writing complaints in sexual crimes and to extend counseling and to assist the women victims.

 They also sought several relief including a direction to Direct Inspector General of Police to register a criminal case against the police authorities and mediapersons who unlawfully divulge identify of the victim/survivor in such cases under Sections 228 (a) and 509 of the Indian Penal Code.

They also sought registration of FIR against Pandiarajan, the then superintendent of Coimbatore rural, sub-inspector T Rajendra Prasad, and the editor of Tamil Daily Malar for revealing the identity of the victim. They also wanted the court to transfer the probe to a Special Investigation Team led by a gender-sensitive officer, not below the rank of DIG, for the effective investigation under the supervision of the high court and direct the chairperson of the State Commission for Women to constitute a permanent complaint committee in every district headquarters presided by a retired district judge and comprising of experienced and sensitive women lawyers, psychiatrist and social activists to give counselling and assistance to victims as per the Vishaka guidelines The bench issued a notice the government and DGP returnable by June 7 and also directed the registry to tag the same with the similar case which is pending before it.