Chennai: Upset with the ongoing probe into the recent daring sexual assault on an engineering student on the reputable Anna University campus in Chennai, the Madras High Court on Saturday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising of an all-women IPS officers team. It also ordered a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the girl.
Justices S M Subramaniam and V Lakshminarayanan, who were on a Christmas Vacation Bench hearing pleas for a CBI probe into the case, directed this SIT to probe the sexual assault case as well as a cybercrime case which was registered to investigate the leak of the First Information Report (FIR) containing personal details of the victim. The members of the SIT are Bhukya Sneha Priya, Ayman Jamal and S Brinda.
Directing the State Government to pay Rs 25 lakh as compensation to the girl for the “trauma and humiliation” she had endured due to the leak of her personal details, the court also instructed Anna University to offer her free education, boarding and lodging till the completion of her engineering degree course. She should also be provided with counselling and assistance must be given for her parents as well, the judges said.
Advocate General P S Raman submitted the Tamil Nadu government welcomed the court’s decision and consented to the same.
The judges also wanted the Government to initiate appropriate action, if necessary, against Greater Chennai Commissioner of Police A Arun for spoken to the media on the details of the investigation though the probe was still in the initial stages.
Expressing shock over the FIR being inappropriately worded and indulging in ‘victim-shaming’ the court said when the Constitution does not discriminate between men and women, the society cannot dictate how women should conduct themselves.
Earlier, the Advocate General contended that the FIR was downloaded by 14 persons due to a technical issue caused by the shift from Indian Penal Code to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. He said even the National Informatics Centre (NIC) was shocked to learn about the leak.
