The Kerala High Court, on Wednesday, June 17, questioned why authorities failed to act on a complaint lodged by the grandmother of 20-month-old Arshith before the toddler died following alleged prolonged abuse at the hands of his mother’s partner in Thiruvananthapuram’s Nedumangad.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar VM raised the issue while considering a suo motu public interest litigation initiated in connection with the child’s death.
Directing the State to place the status of the investigation on record, the Bench said, “The government pleader is directed to file a report in the form of an affidavit indicating the steps taken so far with regard to the tragic death of one-and-a-half-year-old child suffering weeks of horrific systematic torture in Nedumangad, Thiruvananthapuram, allegedly by his stepfather”. The court further directed that the progress report of the investigation be submitted in a sealed cover.
The bench also orally noted that there was a “specific allegation” that the District Child Protection Officer had failed to act despite receiving prior information from the child’s grandmother about the alleged abuse.
The court specifically asked why no action had been taken on the complaint submitted by the grandmother, who had approached the child protection authorities and sought intervention weeks before the toddler’s death. The court subsequently impleaded the Department of Women and Child Development in the proceedings and directed the investigating officer to submit a report within a week.
During Wednesday’s hearing, the government pleader accepted notice on behalf of the State and submitted that the Social Justice Department Secretary should also be impleaded in the matter, since the Department implements welfare activities and directions of the Women and Child Development Department. Recording the submission, the court added the Social Justice Department Secretary as an additional respondent and also issued notice to the Kerala State Legal Services Authority.
The matter has been posted for further consideration after two weeks.
The case relates to the death of Arshith, who succumbed to severe physical abuse on May 29. Investigators found more than 90 internal and external injuries on the child’s body, indicating sustained abuse over several weeks. Police have alleged that Ashkar, the partner of the child’s mother Akhila, repeatedly assaulted the toddler. Both Ashkar and Akhila have been arrested in connection with the case.
Arshith’s grandmother Reena had contacted the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) helpline on May 3 after receiving photographs showing the child with fractures in both arms. During a 16-minute phone conversation, she expressed fears that the injuries were the result of abuse and referred to alleged threats previously made by Ashkar.
However, no welfare visit was conducted and no intervention followed. An audio recording later accessed by The News Minute showed a helpline staff member questioning Reena’s suspicions and suggesting that she could be “imagining things”.
The Director of the Women and Child Development Department subsequently said that the contract employee who handled the call was removed from service. The Department also announced plans to revamp training programmes for helpline staff and conduct a detailed inquiry into the handling of the complaint.
