Keep Nirmala report in sealed cover: Madras HC

Chennai: Madras High Court has directed that if any report is filed by the one man committee appointed by the Tamil Nadu governor to inquire into the allegation against professor Nirmala Devi, arrested on April 16 allegedly for luring college girl students into sex work, the same shall be kept in a sealed cover.

A division bench comprising Justices V. Parthiban and P.D. Audikesavalu posted to June 6, further hearing of the petition filed by D.Ganesan, State Coordinator, Revolutionary - Students Youth Front -Tamil Nadu, which sought to immediately transfer the investigation to Special Investigation Team headed by a retired judge of this high court.

The bench said the counsel appearing for the petitioner would submit that pending decision in the present petition, if any report is filed on the basis of the one man committee appointed by the Governor that may scuttle the criminal investigation in the subject matter which is already set in motion.

Therefore, the counsel sought urgent hearing of the petition and also come up with the present miscellaneous petition seeking to restrain the committee from submitting the report till the completion of the investigation by CB-CID, the bench added.

The bench said the government pleader for the authorities submitted that an identical petition has been filed before the Madurai Bench of the high court, in which a division bench passed an order dismissing the petition. However, a copy of the order has not been made available on record. “Since an apprehension has been expressed that the report of the committee is likely to be submitted before the petition could be heard finally and in which event the criminal investigation may likely be diluted this court is of the considered view that if any report is submitted by the committee before the next date of hearing, the same shall be kept in a sealed cover and await further orders from this court”, the bench added.