Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai   

High Court orders CB-CID prosecution against SPs

By A. Subramani

CHENNAI OCT. 8. The Madras High Court has directed the Government to launch CB-CID prosecution against two Superintendents of Police - Premkumar and Panneerselvam - for their role in a case of alleged illegal detention and torture of seven persons, including two women in 1997, when they were DSPs in Kanyakumari.

Justice M. Karpagavinayam, citing the deposition of victims, who were arrested in connection with a murder case, said, "the details of the happenings inside the police stations as given in the depositions of the (women) witnesses would clearly indicate that their modesty was outraged by both Premkumar and Panneerselvam in the presence of other accused persons. They (the officials) behaved like barbarians, without any human dignity.''

The petitioners - John Joseph and six others - were accused in the murder case filed by Franciscal Jaya, who alleged that John Joseph attempted to rape her daughter, Dyana, at the Charismatic Centre in Marthandam. According to the prosecution, an investigation revealed that many illegal activities were going on at the Centre. It also said Gilbert Raj was allegedly beaten to death and buried inside the Centre.

A case was registered by the Kuzhithurai police, which arrested the seven accused and subjected them to interrogation.

The present batch of petitions was preferred by the accused persons. Mr. Justice Karpagavinayagam rejected petitions seeking transfer of the investigation of the case to the CBI, as also the quashing of the FIR filed by the Kuzhithurai police.

However, taking serious note of the allegations relating to the conduct of the officials, the Judge said the CB-CID should record the statements of Sahaya Rani and Femina Rose, whose modesty was allegedly outraged while in custody, and register an FIR against Premkumar and Panneerselvam and "launch prosecution against them".

The charge sheet should be filed within three months before the appropriate court, he stipulated.

The trial in the original case, however, can go on "uninfluenced by the observations made by this court", Mr. Justice Karpagavinayagam added.

"If this sort of inhuman ill-treatment in the name of interrogation by police officials, that too at the DSP level, is allowed to go on, then there is no protection even to persons who are innocent,'' he observed.

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