The Madras High Court on Monday called for an Action Taken Report (ATR) from the police on the action taken so far with respect to the Villupuram Anbu Jothi ashram case, where there have been allegations of torture, sexual assault and human trafficking of persons with mental illnesses admitted to the ashram.
A Division Bench of Justices M. Sundar and M. Nirmal Kumar called for the ATR by February 27 on a habeas corpus petition which complained of one of the inmates Zafirullah (70) having gone missing mysteriously from the ashram, administered by Jubin Baby [since arrested].
The habeas corpus petitioner, Halideen, was a friend of Mr. Zafirullah’s nephew Salim Khan, who was residing in the United States. It was on the request of Mr. Khan to find accommodation for his uncle that the petitioner had identified the ashram through one of his friends.
Accordingly, the petitioner admitted the aged man in the ashram but subsequently found him missing from the ashram. On inquiry, he was told that some of the residents had been transferred to a facility in Bengaluru. The petitioner tried to trace the missing person but his efforts went in vain.
Subsequently, on a complaint lodged by him, the Kedar police registered a First Information Report for ‘man missing ‘ and when there was no progress thereafter, he had approached the court with the present petition. The court, on January 2 this year, ordered a notice to Jubin Baby, who ran the ashram.
It also directed the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Gingee Sub Division, to monitor the investigation being conducted by the Kedar Inspector of Police in the ‘man missing’ case and present the missing person before a Judicial Magistrate court in Villupuram if he was found by then.
When the matter was heard on February 9, the Bench led by Justice Sundar found that Jubin Baby had not appeared before the court despite the receipt of a private notice sent by the petitioner’s counsel on January 4 and also a court notice on January 24.
Therefore, the judges directed the police to produce him before the court on Monday. However, Additional Public Prosecutor R Muniyapparaj told the court that in the meantime, the police visited the ashram and found that it was being run illegally, without any authorisation.
The APP also mentioned that Jubin Baby had been arrested and remanded in judicial custody and that there was no video- conferencing facility in the sub jail where he was lodged at present. After hearing him, the judges ordered the filing of an action taken report by February 27.
When the police inquiry, conducted in the man missing case, led to a suspicion of human trafficking, rape and various other atrocities against the residents of the ashram, the Director General of Police had, on Saturday, transferred the investigation to Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID).
Published - February 20, 2023 12:56 pm IST
