CHENNAI: Madras High Court today directed the Superintendent of police, Puducherry, to conduct an identification parade through video conferencing to enable two minor girls identify personnel with whom they were suspected to have been forced to have a sexual relationship.
Justice P N Prakash stated this while dealing with a Criminal Original petition filed by one of the accused A Tamilselvan, who had lent his building to a Sub-Inspector.
The judge noted that police conduct test identification parades to test the memory and identify the capability of a witness who had seen the offender in a fleeting movement.
In this case, the delinquent police officers had come in uniform and had sex with the victims and thus spent considerable time with them. The only handicap was that the girls did not know the names of the officers, he said.
"Therefore it is not necessary for the magistrate to conduct test identification parade, as it is normally done by making the suspects stand amidst similar looking persons. In this case the victims can be made to identify the police officers through video conferencing," the judge said.
On April 1 2014, two minor children, aged 14 years and 16 years, had approached the Child Help Line, Puducherry, seeking protection from sexual harassment and abuse. They said they were sexually exploited by three women pimps.
The children claimed that they were offered juices mixed with drugs and sedatives, rendering them unconscious after which they were sexually exploited by some persons.
Thereafter the three women reportedly forced them to continue the sexual relationship with several men, threatening them they would air video clippings made, the girls said.
The child helpline rescued the girls and gave a complaint on April 10 to IG of Police after ascertaining all details.
CB-CID in Puducherry then registered a case against the three women, three police personnel and other unknown persons.
R Muruganandam, Executive Secretary, Human Rights and consumer protection Society, Puducherry had filed an intervening petition, seeking a CBI enquiry into the incident.
When the case came up before Justice Prakash, the Public Prosecutor of Puducherry submitted that eight police officers had so far been suspended in connection with the case.
The Judge then directed the PP to submit a report on Dec 19 on the steps taken by police.