Pollachi case: HC orders state, centre to prohibit circulation of videos, audio

The Madurai bench of Madras High Court on March 15 ordered the state and the central  government to prohibit the circulation of videos and audio related to the Pollachi sexual harassment case in the social media, apart from directing the state government to initiate action against those responsible for revealing the identity of the girl victim. The government also was asked to withdraw the earlier order transferring the case to the CBI and ordered to issue a fresh Government Order (GO) for the same.

Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice SS Sundar passed the order while hearing a PIL filed by an advocate S Ilamuhil from Tiruchy. The court also added Internet Service Providers Association of India, New India as one of the respondents to the case. After passing the orders, the PIL was transferred to Madras High Court in Chennai for further hearing.

Citing the GO on transferring the Pollachi Sexual Harassment case to the CBI, in which the government had revealed the identity of the girl victim, Ilamuhil asked the court to direct the State Government to refrain from revealing the identity of rape victims.

Recording the submission, the court ordered the state government to withdraw the GO issued to transfer the case to the CBI and asked it to issue a fresh GO without revealing the identity of the victims.

Further, the High Court also recommended the state government to take action against the officials responsible for revealing the identity of the 19-year-old girl who filed a complaint against the four accused.

Meanwhile, two advocates A Rajaajan and Y William Vinoth Kumar filed a writ petition before the Supreme Court, seeking action against the Coimbatore Superintendent of Police R Pandiyarajan for revealing the identity of the victim.

In the petition, Rajarajan and William Vinoth have also asked the Supreme Court to direct the police to give protection to the victims and their families’ members, apart from seeking a court-monitored probe into the case. The plea is likely to come up for hearing next week.