Chennai: The Madras high court has ordered notice to the state government, DGP, CBI and Tamil Nadu Legal Services Authority on a public interest litigation, which sought a direction to the CBI to appoint a high ranking woman police officer to head the investigation into the crimes that have been transferred to it and other related crimes relating to sex scandal in Pollachi, to be monitored by the high court.
The first bench comprising Chief Justice V.K.Tahilramani and M.Duraiswamy posted to April 25, further hearing of the PIL filed by advocate G.Chamki Raj and five other women advocates.
When the case came up for hearing on Friday, senior counsel R.Vaigai appearing for the petitioners submitted that the investigation into the sex scandal has to happen in a fair and proper manner. In the GO by which the investigation was transferred to CBI, the state government has disclosed the name of the victim. These victims need psychologists and doctors, which the state government has failed to provide to them, she added.
Government pleader (in-charge) Jayaprakash Narayanan said similar petitions seeking similar relief were already pending.
In their petition, they also sought a direction to the authorities to provide one stop crisis centre along with standard operative procedures that is victim-centric and survivor support services for trauma care through psychologists/psychiatrists, medical care, legal aid, assistance of women’s rights activists and other such measures, to the victims, to their families and witness related to the sexual offences referred in the said GO and other related offences.
They also sought a direction to the state government to provide witness protection to victims, their families and their witnesses as per the “witness protection scheme, 2018” as directed to be implemented by the Supreme Court in Mahender Chawla Vs Union of India case.
