Anna univ. rape case: Madras HC orders SIT probe, Rs 25L compensation

Chennai: The Madras High Court has directed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the alleged rape of a 19-year-old Anna University student and ordered the Tamil Nadu government to pay an interim compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the survivor.

The court also criticized the Chennai Police for publishing details of the FIR online, which exposed the survivor's identity.A Bench of Justices S.M. Subramaniam and V. Lakshminarayanan clarified that the interim compensation would not affect the survivor’s right to claim additional compensation under criminal law. The court urged the Tamil Nadu government to consider taking action against the Police Commissioner for holding a press conference on the case without prior permission.

The case came under the court’s scrutiny after advocate R. Varalakshmi submitted a letter petition, raising concerns about women’s safety in Tamil Nadu. The petition requested a Special Investigation Committee led by a sitting woman judge of the Madras High Court or a transfer of the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for an impartial probe.

The Madras High Court took up the case suo motu, following the submission of the letter petition, to address concerns about women’s safety in Tamil Nadu.

The crime occurred when the victim and her male friend, after attending a midnight Christmas mass at a nearby church, sat in a secluded area on the university campus. The accused, identified as Gnanashekaran, attacked the male friend, brutally assaulting him, and then dragged the victim to nearby bushes, where she was raped.

The Chennai Police have faced severe criticism for their failure to ensure campus security, despite deploying over 8,000 officers across the city for Christmas celebrations. Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai alleged that the accused, who has a history of criminal cases, was not included in the police's "rowdy list" due to his connections with DMK leaders. He presented evidence of the accused's links to the ruling party and accused the DMK of neglecting public safety for political gain.

Annamalai further criticized the police for leaking the FIR, which compromised the survivor’s anonymity, and accused the DMK of diverting attention from the state’s law and order issues by promoting a North-South divide.

The High Court, while addressing these concerns, has deferred the hearing to January 3 and called for a status report from the Tamil Nadu government.

With IANS inputs