The Madras High Court bench in Madurai on Monday directed the Madurai Collector and the Tallakulam police to submit before a single judge records pertaining to the death of a girl student in the Government Adi Dravidar Hostel at Chokkikulam.
In his petition, A. Soundara Pandian claimed that his daughter S. Pandeeswari, who was staying in the Government Adi Dravidar Girls Hostel in Chokkikulam, was found dead under mysterious circumstances on July 9, 2010.
According to Mr. Pandian, the hostel administration had claimed that Ms. Pandeeswari died of electrocution.
She was 14 years old and was pursuing Class X at Kakkaipadiniyar School at the time of her death, Mr. Pandian said.
Mr. Pandian’s counsel S. Vanchinathan raised doubts over the cause of Pandeeswari’s death. He claimed that Mr. Pandian and his family members had noticed nail marks and injuries on the victim’s body.
According to the counsel, the petitioner’s daughter was last seen near the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam office located near the hostel. She may have been raped and killed by the DMK functionaries, he alleged.
Mr. Pandian further claimed in his petition that he had filed a complaint with the Tallakulam police station.
Another petition
The police did not conduct a proper investigation, and, therefore, he filed another petition seeking transfer of the investigation of the case to the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID), he added.
The police are yet to file the final report in the case, he said.
In his petition, Mr. Pandian claimed that the collector had given an initial compensation of Rs 1 lakh to the petitioner’s family. “The Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department is liable to pay compensation because my daughter died as a result of their negligence. Therefore, they should pay Rs.10 lakh compensation to my family”, Mr. Pandian claimed in his petition.
Justice S. Manikumar adjourned the case to August 7 with a direction to the officials to submit the records before him during the next hearing.
