The Pollachi sexual abuse case which had rocked the Tamil Nadu Government during the 2019 Lok Sabha election took a new turn on Tuesday as the Madras High Court commenced monitoring of the probe into the case. The decision of the court is a fall out of the submission by some of the petitioners that they were in possession of incriminating evidences.
The court also allowed the petitioners to help the investigation with what ever evidences that have. The case, related to luring of many women into sexual relationships by blackmailing them.
There was a political turmoil in Tamil Nadu following the revelation made by some of the victims that the predators were likes to the higher ups in the AIADMK and the government. The case was handed over to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for investigation. It is to be notes that the decision to monitor the case by the court has been taken after the CBI) informing the court that it has no objection.
Acting Chief Justice Vineet Kothari and Justice C. Saravanan ordered that the CBI from now onwards file periodic status reports on the investigation , after filing of a preliminary chargesheet before a lower court. The Lord shops asked the agency that the first status report should be submitted in a sealed cover on December 3.
The court had also heard a batch of public interest litigation petitions filed by the Tamil Nadu Association of Women Advocates, represented by its president K Santhakumari and a group of seven other women advocates.
“We permit the petitioners to espouse the cause of the victims with the intention that it should not recur in future,” the bench said and permitted the petitioners to approach the investigation officer (IO) concerned and supply to him the relevant materials which they have and assist him.
The permission followed a submission from the CBI Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) that the copies of the reports on the progress of investigation with regard to the case, cannot be supplied to the petitioners because the hearing has be to conducted in camera.
The CBI has filed preliminary chargesheet against as many as five accused — N. Sabarirajan alias Rishwant (26), K. Thirunavukarasu (28), M. Sathish (29), T. Vasantha Kumar (24) and R. Mani alias Manivannan (26), all hailing from Pollachi in Coimbatore district, within month of the commencement of the probe.
They had been charged of offences under Sections 354A (sexual harassment), 354B (assault or use of criminal force), 376 (rape) and 392 (robbery) read with Section 34 (acts committed by several persons in furtherance of a common intention) of the Indian Penal Code apart from Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act of 2002.
A few days ago the case came to lime light again when the Madras High court quashed the Goondas Act invoked against Thirunavukkarasu and Sabarirajan (alias Riswandh), the two main accused in the case, citing unclear documentation on the part of the police.