Pollachi case: HC to hear case to investigate EPS

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court to hear a petition filed for a direction to investigate former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and the then Coimbatore district superintendent of police Pandiarajan for naming the Pollachi sexual abuse and extortion case victims in a GO and press meet respectively.

The petition filed by Chennai-based activist Balachandran Ganesan has been listed before the first division bench of Acting Chief Justice T Raja and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy. The bench will hear the matter for arguments on Monday as the sixth item.

The petitioner submitted that the Pollachi rape case and extortion of numerous girls and women by a gang in Pollachi occurred in 2019. "Sabarirajan, Thirunavukkarasu, T Vasanthakumar, N Sathish, R Manivannan, K Arulanantham, Haronimus Paul, Bike Babu, and M Arunkumar were the accused in the case. The gang used to entice women into isolated places after befriending them on social media and sexually assaulting them and filming the act," according to the petitioner.

He further added that more than 200 women including doctors, teachers, and college and school girls were sexually tortured, and exploited in the same manner.

The petitioner said in his affidavit that when a victim's brother identified the act of the accused, he filed a police complaint. "However, the then Coimbatore Superintendent of Police Pandiarajan while giving a press meet disclosed the name of the victim. Also, when the GO was issued to transfer the case to CBI, the victim's name, college background, and her brother's details were also furnished, " he added.

He further recalled the act of the SP saying that naming the victim was to threaten the other victims to restrain them from coming forward to lodge a complaint against the accused. Due to political influence, the accused name was not released first.

"Therefore I made a representation to the CM to punish SP Pandiarajan and to investigate former CM Palaniswami for naming the victim. However, no action was taken on my representation," the petitioner noted.