CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Monday ordered a fresh autopsy of the body of the student of a private school in Kallakurichi district by a team of doctors accepting a plea of the father of the deceased girl.
Justice N Sathish Kumar passed the interim orders on a petition filed by the girl’s father.
He said the re-postmortem shall be conducted by a team of doctors to be nominated by the court and the entire procedure must be videographed while allowing the deceased’s father to be present along with a lawyer during the procedure.
The parents of the girl were directed to take the body once the autopsy is completed, without creating any fresh trouble, and were also barred from talking to media on the incident.
Referring to unbridled violence orchestrated in the premises of Sakthi matriculation higher secondary school located at Kaniyamoor in Kallakurichi district on Sunday by a group of protesters, who had damaged and torched vehicles, furniture and certificates of students of the school, the judge ordered Tamil Nadu police to form special squads to probe the incident and nab the culprits.
Such incidents shall be dealt with in a strong manner, he told the police, apart from directing to file a status report by July 29. Saying that the violence appeared premeditated, Justice Sathish Kumar said a seemingly lawless situation has been created through the violent incidents in the State which is being described peaceful.
He ordered that all the unnatural deaths to be reported in educational institutions shall be probed by the CB-CID and the autopsy be videographed.
When the judge questioned the petitioner why did he resort to protests even after approaching the court, his counsel said the parents of the girl had no role in the violent stir and old students of the institution had resorted to it.
Earlier, representing the Police, State Public Prosecutor (SPP) Hasan Mohammed Jinnah told the court that CB-CID probe has been ordered on the incident and the situation was brought under control.
As sought by the SPP, the petition was taken as the first item for hearing.
The Class XII girl was found dead in the school on July 13 with the school authorities telling her parents she had committed suicide by jumping off the hostel where she was accommodated.
While the parents and their relatives were demanding re-postmortem and criminal action against the school management, the group of protesters, belonging various outfits, gathered from different parts of northern districts to storm into the school before indulging in rampage and arson on Sunday.
Remaining slack over the likelihood of a violent protest, the local police were caught unaware and battled to bring the situation under control, before which, severe damage to men, including the police, and material was caused by the protesters.
Top government officials, including Home Secretary Phanindra Reddy and DGP C Sylendra Babu, rushed to the spot on the advice of the Chief Minister to step up the efforts to restore public peace and order.