The Madras High Court Bench here on Thursday ordered a police enquiry into allegations that inmates of a private home, run by Akshaya Trust at Doak Nagar Extension here for the mentally challenged destitute and other homeless people, were being sexually abused by the employees.
Passing interim orders in a public interest litigation petition filed by C. Muthurani, Madurai district president of All India Democratic Women’s Association, a Division Bench of Justices V. Ramasubramanian and V.M. Velumani directed Additional Superintendent of Police V. Shyamala Devi to conduct the enquiry.
The court also appointed lawyer D. Geetha as an advocate commissioner and directed her to visit the home at the earliest along with psychologist Rani Chakravarthi to find out the real state of affairs. The two-member team was ordered to submit its inspection report before the court by Monday.
Filing the PIL petition through her counsel U. Nirmala Rani, the petitioner claimed that she came across a news report in a couple of Tamil dailies on June 6 of a 21-year-old mentally challenged Muslim woman having been abused sexually by three employees of the home.
The incident came to light when the woman reportedly ran out of the home naked at around 2 p.m. on June 5. A few people working outside the home under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme had spotted the victim, offered her clothes and took up the issue with the police.
The petitioner claimed to have interviewed the victim, undergoing treatment at Government Rajaji Hospital here, and learnt from her that other women inmates of the home were also subjected to sexual abuse through sedation and that many had died in the last one year.
She further stated that during enquiries made by her, some of the employees of the home conceded that many inmates had died in the last one year and their bodies were cremated without conducting post-mortem. The Village Administrative Officer also endorsed the statement.
Ms. Muthurani also alleged that when she took up the issue with the Collector on June 10 and insisted on prompt action, he replied that the statement of a mentally challenged woman could not be relied upon and that the allegations levelled against the home were not true.
