Veeramani Pocso case: Madras HC adjourns DMK leader TR Baalu’s plea seeking SIT action against CM Vijay, ministers

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court adjourned by four weeks a plea by DMK treasurer TR Baalu seeking directions to the SIT that is investigating the Pocso case against granite baron R Veeramani to summon TVK leaders and collect evidence allegedly in their possession. The court said the SIT should be allowed to investigate without interference.

Baalu moved the court seeking directions to summon and question TVK leaders, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, and ministers Aadhav Arjuna and R Nirmalkumar, and collect the material evidence allegedly in their possession.

When the matter came up for hearing before Justice V Lakshminarayanan, senior counsel J Ravindran argued that the party wanted those responsible, however high their position, to be held accountable. He said that if the chief minister or ministers had any material suggesting a cover-up, it should be submitted to the SIT.

Ravindran said the allegation that the party protected child abusers was serious and should not be made for political purposes. "This is not a matter to play politics. This has to be looked into. It's a matter of humanity," he said.

The court said the SIT should be allowed to work without interference and adjourned the hearing by four weeks to enable it to proceed with the investigation.

Meanwhile, in a plea by Tulir, an NGO working to prevent child sexual abuse, that sought a direction to stop media houses and others from publishing child sexual exploitation and abuse material (CSEAM), the court directed the parties to file their counters and posted the hearing to October 6. The court said such material should be taken down and told the NGO that it could seek legal action if anyone continued to publish or broadcast it.

In his petition, Baalu had said a day after the State police chief constituted the SIT on September 25, the TVK leaders made public statements alleging the involvement of the DMK in the case and claimed that they had material evidence to substantiate it.

Baalu contended that those who had publicly made such claims had a duty to appear before the SIT and produce the evidence in their possession to facilitate an effective investigation. However, they had not submitted any such material to the SIT so far, he said.

Given that the case involved minor victims, preservation of evidence and maintaining the integrity of the investigation were of particular importance, he submitted.

Baalu said he had submitted a representation to the Central Crime Branch (CCB) on September 27 seeking that the persons concerned be summoned and questioned and that relevant material in their possession be secured as part of the investigation.