CHENNAI: THE Villupuram District Judge was directed by the Madras High Court to find out the reasons for the huge delay by the Tirukoilur judicial magistrate to forward his findings on the alleged arrest and rape of four Irula women of T Mandapam village by policemen in 2011.
The first Bench of Chief Justice S K Kaul and Justice R Mahadevan issued the directive when the writ petition from advocate P Pugalenthi came up before it on Wednesday. “One of the aspects which emerges is that the findings of the JM Tirukoilur are still awaited. We fail to understand how even after five years the findings are still awaited. The principal district judge, Villupuram, shall look into it and send a report to this court. Once the report is made available, it has to be handed over to the police officer investigating the case,” the Bench said and listed the matter for hearing on September 26.
According to the petitioner, eight policemen of Tirukoilur station went to Mandapam village, arrested the four women, took them by van and raped them in a nearby eucalyptus grove at night on November 22, 2011.
Following a complaint dated November 26, 2011, from Professor Praba Kalvimani, a human rights activist, the Tirukoilur police registered a case of offence under Sec. 376 of the IPC against unidentified policemen. But no action was taken against the accused policemen.
Ordinarily, a government servant, against whom an FIR was registered implicating him in an offence of rape, he should be suspended immediately from service. The authorities concerned were aware who the policemen were who visited the village on November 22, 2011 and arrested the four women. Moreover, mere arrest of a woman after sunset without prior permission of the local Magistrate was a valid ground for suspending the policemen, the petition said and prayed for a directive to order a CBI probe, suspension of the policemen concerned and disciplinary action against them.