The Madras High Court, on Thursday, January 29, called out the Tamil Nadu government for its inability to take action against police officers who had violated protocol in handling the Anna Nagar child rape in 2024.
A bench of Justice P Velmurugan and Justice M Jothiraman was hearing a writ petition filed by the mother of the victim, seeking directions, including better compensation and action against the police officers who had committed serious violations during the investigation.
The case pertaining to the sexual assault of a 10-year-old child in 2024 gained media attention after the parents of the victim alleged that they had been beaten up by Anna Nagar All Women’s Police Station (AWPS) when they attempted to file a case.
Other serious lapses were also flagged by the court, including that the victim’s statement had been recorded in the absence of her parents and that the police had revealed the identity of the victim. The court had earlier lambasted the police for taking action against journalists who had reported on the incident as well.
The court directed that the state file a report detailing departmental action that had been taken against the officers.
The additional advocate general J Ravindran, appearing for the state, submitted before the court that compensation of four lakhs had been paid to the victim’s family. The counsel also said that the police officer involved had been placed under suspension and that a criminal case had been registered against them.
According to a New Indian Express report, the court, however, noted that stringent departmental action should have been initiated against the officer and that suspension was not adequate punishment.