High Court restrains SSI from entering police station

A criminal case is pending against him there

The Madras High Court Bench here has restrained a Special Sub-Inspector (SSI) of Police (Traffic) from stepping into a city police station where a criminal case was pending against him on a charge of assaulting a woman fruit vendor at Yanaikkal fruit market here last year.

Disposing of a petition filed by the victim, Meenatchiammal, Justice M.M. Sundresh also directed Madurai City Commissioner of Police to monitor the investigation in the case and make sure that Vilakkuthoon police here file a charge sheet before a competent court within four months.

The judge pointed out that the present petition had been filed last year seeking a direction to transfer the investigation to some other police officer since the victim suspected the then Inspector of Vilakkuthoon police station to be hand in glove with the SSI who was the accused in the case.

However, since the Inspector had been transferred in the interregnum period and a new officer had taken charge of the police station, the judge said that there was no necessity to transfer the investigation at present since allegations of favouritism were levelled only against the previous officer.

Nevertheless, in order to ensure fairness in the investigation, especially because the case had been booked against a police officer, the judge said: “It is made clear that the said police personnel shall not enter the B1-Vilakkuthoon police station.”

According to the petitioner’s counsel, S. Vanchinathan, the SSI had attacked the woman with an iron rod following a wordy duel between them over a traffic snarl at Yanaikkal.

He claimed that the woman had to be hospitalised and that forced the police to register a case against him.