Madras High Court asks Tamil Nadu SIT to report on child abuse probe

The Madras High Court has directed Tamil Nadu’s Special Investigation Team to file a status report on its investigation into a child sexual abuse case by October 7. Justice V. Lakshminarayanan made the direction while hearing a petition by R.

Varaaki seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the case against R. Veeramani of Gem Granites. The petitioner had expressed concern that the State police might not investigate the matter properly.

The judge said the police could not be expected to solve a sensitive case within four days of the formation of an SIT. He rejected the suggestion that investigators should produce an immediate resolution and said the police did not have a “crystal ball or a magic wand”. The petitioner’s counsel said the concern arose partly from allegations that senior Indian Police Service officers had previously attempted to cover up the crime.

The counsel referred to the State government placing two IPS officers on compulsory wait following complaints relating to the alleged cover-up. The judge said the SIT would necessarily have to investigate that angle. He invited the petitioner and others with relevant information to share it with the team.

He also warned against turning the case into a political issue and stressed the interests of the children, including Scheduled Caste children identified as victims in the case. When counsel continued to press for an independent agency, the judge questioned whether transferring the matter to the CBI would resolve the concern, noting that the CBI also has IPS officers. The court did not transfer the investigation in the interim order.

State Public Prosecutor R. John Sathyan, assisted by Additional Public Prosecutor Arun Anbumani, was directed to ensure confidentiality for people providing information to the SIT. The petitioner told the court he would appear before the team on October 1 and share the information available to him.