Madras High Court takes suo motu cognisance of case;
Advocates demand CBI probe, student safety measures
·
Court
adjourns hearing to Saturday, December 28
The Madras
High Court took suo motu cognisance of the sexual assault case at Anna
University, directing the Tamil Nadu government and police to file a detailed
report.
The move
came after a letter from an advocate R Varalakshmi highlighted lapses in the
police investigation, including the exposure of the survivor’s identity through
a reportedly leaked FIR. She urged the
court to transfer the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), citing
confusion over the arrest of only one suspect while the survivor had mentioned
two individuals in the FIR.
Another
lawyer, Krishnamurthy, pointed out the distress faced by the survivor’s family
following the release of the FIR. He also raised concerns about the safety of
women in hostels across educational institutions, urging the court to address this systemic issue.