Claiming that there are more victims in the Pollachi sexual assault case out of which a considerable number are even ready to come forward to file a complaint, the Madras High Court has been moved seeking for a directive to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to register separate FIRs for distinct cause of action.
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Chennai:
The first bench comprising Chief Justice V K Tahilramani and Justice M Duraiswamy before whom the plea came up for hearing on Tuesday ordered the notice returnable by June 12. The petitioner, M Radhika, the Coimbatore district president of the All India Democratic Women’s Association, had submitted that based on a written complaint lodged by a victim, the police had registered a case. But admittedly there were four different footages in the possession of the Pollachi Town police inspector, which revealed that the crime was committed by the same accused against four different persons-including the victim who lodged the complaint.
However, despite the crime in the video revealing a separate cause of action and requiring stringent action and registration of subsequent FIRs-apart from the one already registered, the Pollachi Town police had deliberately refused to register the case against the accused despite efforts made by her by in lodging a complaint, Radhika said.
The plea also noted that despite the investigation of the crime pending on the file of the CB-CID being transferred to the CBI, the CB-CID officials have taken the accused into their custody, which violates procedure. Moreover, the CB-CID officials continuing with the investigation are leaking confidential information to the media.
Further, the plea while seeking for a direction to the DGP to restrain CB-CID from probing the incident also sought for a direction to the CBI to register a case on the complaint registered by her based on the videos which identify the same accused but with different victims.
It also sought action against the police officers who refused to register the complaint and appoint a woman officer instead in the investigation team headed by the CBI.