A woman advocate has filed a case in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the State government to constitute a high-level judicial committee comprising serving as well as retired High Court judges and members of women’s organisations to monitor the investigation to be conducted by Central Bureau of Investigation into the Pollachi sexual abuse issue.
Justice G.K. Ilanthiraiyan is expected to hear the criminal original petition filed by S. Vasuki, 43, of Ponneri in Tiruvallur district on Friday.
In the petition, filed through her counsel Kanimozhi Mathi, the lawyer contended that it was essential for a high-level judicial committee to monitor the probe in order to inspire confidence in the general public.
Stating that crimes against women were on the rise, the petitioner said the Pollachi issue had sent shock waves across the State and raised suspicion about the local police attempting to hush up the entire episode of many young women having been sexually abused after being cheated by men who had befriended them through social media.
In order to prevent such incidents and send a stern warning to the perpetrators of the crime, there was an imminent necessity for a high-level judicial committee, she stressed.
Advocate P. Pugalendhi of Chennai too had filed a public interest litigation petition, through his counsel M. Radhakrishnan, seeking High Court monitored CBI probe into the issue.
The first Division Bench of Chief Justice Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani and Justice M. Duraiswamy had, early this week, directed the State government to file its counter affidavit to the PIL petition by April 10.