Blitz Bureau
HIGHLIGHTING lapses in the probe in the case of sexual assault of a 19-year-old Anna University student, the Madras High Court directed that a special investigation team (SIT) comprising three women IPS officers be constituted to take over the probe.
The court had taken suo motu cognisance of the matter. A Bench of Justices SM Subramaniam and V Lakshminarayan on December 28 also directed the state Government to pay the survivor a compensation of Rs 25 lakh for the lapse on the part of police for publishing the first information report (FIR) which included her details on its website. It took serious note of the police’s “victim blaming” the student in the FIR.
“Have you read the FIR? It is an example of victim blaming,” the Bench told Advocate General PS Raman during the hearing. “The deplorable language of the FIR paves the way for victim blaming. It is shocking,” the court said in its order as it heard a plea for transferring the probe into the matter to the CBI. The second-year student was allegedly sexually molested by 37-yearold roadside vendor in the campus on December 23. She filed a police complaint on December 24 at the Kotturpuram All Women’s Police Station. Chennai Police, a day later, arrested the accused.
The Bench further directed the university to not charge any fees from the woman, noting that the survivor’s studies should not be affected. It also took exception to how the FIR was leaked, revealing the student’s identity and personal details. “It has led to more mental agony for her,” the Bench noted.
