IPS officers team, comprising women only, to probe Anna University sexual assault case: Madras HC

Madras High Court forms all-woman IPS team to investigate Anna University sexual assault case and FIR leak.

The Madras High Court on Saturday (December 28, 2024) constituted an all-woman team of Indian Police Service (IPS) officers to investigate the Anna University sexual assault case and another case registered by the cybercrime police to probe the leak of the First Information Report (FIR) pertaining to the sexual assault.

A Christmas vacation Bench of Justices S.M. Subramaniam and V. Lakshminarayanan ordered the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising IPS officers Bhukya Sneha Priya, Ayman Jamal, and S. Brinda to investigate the sexual assault of a student on the varsity campus and the related FIR leak case.

The judges recorded the submission of Advocate General P.S. Raman that the Tamil Nadu government welcomes the court’s decision to constitute the SIT and also accords its consent to do so. The orders were passed on two public interest litigation (PIL) petitions, seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the case.

The Bench ordered that the State government must also pay a compensation of ₹25 lakh to the survivor for the trauma and humiliation that she had to endure due to the FIR leak, which revealed all her personal details, including name, address, and phone number in the public domain.

It was made clear that Anna University must not collect any kind of fee, be it for tuition or boarding and lodging, from the survivor and provide necessary counselling to her so she could pursue her studies. The university was directed to provide necessary assistance to her parents too.

The court further directed the State government to initiate appropriate action, if necessary, against the Greater Chennai Commissioner of Police A. Arun for having conducted a press conference revealing the details of the investigation to the media though the probe was only at its initial stage.

The Division Bench also expressed shock over the contents of the FIR not having been worded properly, resulting in victim-shaming. It said, when the Constitution does not discriminate between men and women, the society cannot dictate the way in which women should conduct themselves.