The Madras High Court was on Wednesday told that the State government had cancelled an order issued by it on March 1 for transferring the probe into the Pollachi sexual abuse case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) since the GO disclosed the name of one of the victims, and instead issued a fresh GO without mentioning the name.

The submission was made before the first Division Bench of Chief Justice Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani and Justice M. Duraiswamy during the hearing of a public interest litigation petition filed by advocate P. Pugalenthi, also the Director of Prisoners’ Right Forum, seeking a court monitored CBI probe into the issue. When the case was taken up for hearing, the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) filed a sealed cover in the court containing a status report on the investigation done by it so far. Subsequently, Special Public Prosecutor for CBI cases K. Srinivasan told the court that the earlier GO was cancelled and the CBI was yet to receive the new GO.

Immediately, the petitioner’s counsel M. Radhakrishnan insisted that he must also be given a copy of the new GO.

After directing the State government to furnish a copy to the petitioner, the judges adjourned further hearing on the case to April 25 to enable the CBI to respond to the plea for a court monitored probe.

The petitioner, in his affidavit, had referred to the old GO for transferring all cases related to the Pollachi issue from the CB-CID to the CBI and said such transfer had been ordered because of a recommendation made by the Director General of Police.

In his recommendation, the DGP had stated that the probe may be handed over to the CBI since it involved technical issues including analysis of Facebook data, Internet Protocol logs and internet usage logs apart from the need to liaise with the internet service providers in various countries to obtain the details.

“Thus, according to the DGP, the nature of crime was extremely serious demanding specialised attention and more laborious and dedicated investigation with technical expertise,” the petitioner said and pointed out that the National Commission for Women as well as the Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women too had taken cognisance of the issue.

Stating that the offence of sexually abusing gullible women and circulating those videos on the social media was worse than rape, the petitioner insisted that the entire investigation into the issue should be monitored by the court in order to inspire the confidence of the people among whom it had caused a great outrage.

The four suspects in the Pollachi sexual abuse and blackmail case on Wednesday appeared before the Advisory Board.

The Crime Branch CID police, investigating Pollachi case, has arrested Mani alias Manivannan, 30, a native of Pollachi, and named him as the fifth accused.

Manivannan was arrested in the sensational case after the CB-CID team summoned and interrogated him recently. He was among the five persons who were earlier arrested for allegedly assaulting the brother of the complainant. “He was named an accused in the main case based on his confessions and other evidence. He was produced before the court after on Wednesday after recording his arrest. The court granted his custody for three days till Friday,” said an official privy to the investigation, who refused to divulge the role of the accused.