Madras High Court orders registration of FIR against three policemen for assaulting a Scheduled Caste family in 2016

Madras HC directs SP to register FIR against 3 police personnel for assaulting SC autorickshaw driver, family in 2016. TN govt to pay ₹1.5 lakh to family, recover from erring personnel. HC orders criminal investigation to be completed in 12 wks & dept. proceedings against personnel. No action taken in 7 yrs despite CCTV footage & medical records.

The Madras High Court has directed the Tiruvannamalai Superintendent of Police (SP) to ensure that a First Information Report (FIR) is registered against three police personnel for having assaulted a Scheduled Caste (SC) autorickshaw driver, his wife and son at a public place in 2016 besides abusing them by referring to their caste.

Justice G.K. Ilanthiraiyan also directed the T.N. government to pay a compensation of ₹1.5 lakh to the family, and recover the amount from the erring police personnel in accordance with the law. The judge made it clear that the criminal investigation must be completed within 12 weeks from the date of registration of the FIR.

The judge also ordered the initiation of departmental proceedings forthwith, and said the police personnel must be placed under suspension till the completion of the disciplinary proceedings.

The orders were passed after taking note that hardly any action had been taken against the erring policemen even after seven years.

The autorickshaw driver A. Raja had approached the High Court by way of a writ petition in 2016 seeking a direction to register a case against the three policemen Murugan, Nammalvar and Vijayakumar for having assaulted him and his family members following a verbal altercation at a saloon on Chengam Market Street on July 11, 2016.

The petitioner said that the police personnel had beaten him and his family members with a baton and also tore his wife’s clothes. The entire incident was captured on closed circuit television cameras and was also telecast on television channels at that time he said, and produced medical records too.

A Revenue Divisional Officer had conducted an inquiry into the incident and recommended departmental action. Even after that, hardly any action was taken against the erring police personnel except for transferring them to the armed reserve police force, the petitioner complained and insisted on the registration of an FIR against them.