Pollachi sexual abuse: HC slaps ₹25 lakh on state for revealing victim’s name

The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court on March 16 slapped a fine of ₹25 lakh on the state government for revealing the identity of one of the victims of the Pollachi sexual harassment case. It directed government to prohibit the circulation of ‘scandalous videos.’

The bench pointed out that the victim filed a complaint in the hope that her identity would be protected. The police inadvertently revealed her name to the media. The bench pointed out that the victim filed a complaint in the hope that her identity would be protected. The police inadvertently revealed her name to the media.

Since the victim’s name was disclosed by the officials in an interview, the former had to be compensated by the state government for violation of privacy, dignity and image. Also, the identity of the victim had been revealed in a GO dated March 13. The court said the government should issue a fresh GO without disclosing the identity of the victim.