CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Wednesday turned down a plea to transfer the trial of the sexual harassment case against the suspended special DGP from the chief judicial magistrate (CJM) court in Villupuram to a judicial magistrate court with territorial jurisdiction.
The special DGP, facing charges of sexually harassing an IPS officer during bandobust duty in February this year for a tour programme of the then Chief Minister, filed the petition before the court challenging the territorial jurisdiction of the CJM in Villupuram and prayed for orders to transfer the case to the judicial magistrate court having jurisdiction on the places where the offence was alleged to have been committed.
The petition came up for hearing before a single-judge bench of Justice P Velmurugan. After the arguments were wound up on October 20, the judge reserved orders.
On Wednesday, he issued orders dismissing the petition. The judge also ordered the trial court to complete the trial within three months.
During arguments last week, the counsel for the special DGP contended that as per the complaint/FIR and final report, the alleged offence was said to have occurred between Namakkal and Ulundurpet and the other alleged offence against the second accused (SP Kannan) was said to have occurred at Chengalpet toll plaza. As such, there was no alleged offence committed within the jurisdiction of the Villupuram CJM.
A similar plea by the officer had already been dismissed by the Villupuram CJM.
Last week, Justice Velmurugan dismissed as withdrawn another petition filed by suspended SP D Kannan, the second accused the case, seeking him to be discharged from the case.
When the judge made some adverse remarks and observations against the conduct of the police officers over the issue, the counsel withdrew the petition.
Kannan was accused of intercepting the vehicle of the woman IPS officer while she was on her way to Chennai for lodging a complaint against the special DGP and forcing her to talk to the officer over the phone.
It may be noted that another petition filed by the special DGP praying for quashing of the findings of the internal complaints committee (ICC) and reconstituting the panel by removing two of its members (one removed since) is still pending before Justice C Saravanan of the High Court.