"Not an area to play politics": High Court refuses, for now, to move Gem Granites POCSO case to the CBI

The Madras High Court on Wednesday declined, at this stage, to transfer the child sexual abuse investigation against R. Veeramani of Gem Granites to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). It said the State police could not be expected to solve such a sensitive case within four days of setting up a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

"The Tamil Nadu police do not have a crystal ball or a magic wand," Justice V. Lakshminarayanan observed in an interim order, according to The Hindu.

This report concerns allegations of sexual offences against children. Mr. Veeramani has been booked, not convicted, and the allegations have not been tested in court.

The petition

The order came on a writ petition filed by R. Varaaki seeking a CBI probe into the case, which has been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. The petitioner said he feared that the State police would not investigate properly.

Asked for the basis of that fear, his counsel told the court that the government had recently placed two Indian Police Service officers on compulsory wait after complaints that they had tried to cover up the crime under the previous government. The judge replied that this showed the government was taking action.

He went further. "It is a very sensitive matter. You people are not realising that this is not an area to play politics. I am concerned more about the children," the judge said, adding that many of the alleged victims belong to Scheduled Castes.

When counsel insisted that only an independent agency could investigate alleged cover-ups by serving IPS officers, the judge pointed out that the CBI too is staffed by IPS officers. He said the SIT would have to examine the cover-up allegations as well, and that anyone with information could give it to the team.

Orders to protect witnesses

Justice Lakshminarayanan directed State Public Prosecutor R. John Sathyan to ensure confidentiality for everyone who shares information with the SIT, and to file a status report on the investigation by October 7. The court recorded the petitioner's statement that he would appear before the SIT on Thursday and share what he knew.

A second case from 2004

A day earlier, police sources said the Greater Chennai Police had booked Mr. Veeramani, who is in his eighties, on charges of abetting the suicide of a minor girl in 2004. Provisions of the POCSO Act were also invoked against him, an associate named Shanti and others.

According to the police, the girl's death came to light when investigators found a message from Shanti to Mr. Veeramani asking whether he remembered his involvement in a girl's death. A special team identified the victim. Her mother has complained that her daughter was sexually abused and died by suicide, and that the family's complaint to the local police at the time led to no action.

A police officer told The Hindu that investigators were verifying information that the accused had paid the family or close relatives ₹1 lakh on two occasions. The SIT, made up of senior women officers, is examining financial transactions to see whether there is a proceeds-of-crime angle, and an account holding more than ₹20 crore linked to a suspect is being frozen. Charge sheets are expected next month in the designated court. City Police Commissioner A. Amalraj reviewed the investigation with the SIT on Wednesday.

What comes next

The SIT's status report is due on October 7. The court has kept open the question of an independent probe, but has made clear that it wants the investigation to stay focused on the children, and away from political point-scoring.

If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available on Tamil Nadu's health helpline 104 and Sneha's suicide prevention helpline 044-2464 0050.