Anna University Sexual Assault case: The Madras High Court on Saturday ordered to constitute an all-women Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by IPS officers to investigate the Anna University sexual assault case. The court also directed Tamil Nadu government to pay Rs 25 lakh as compensation to the victim in connection with the FIR leak with the details of the women published on the police website.
A vacation bench comprising Justice S M Subramaniam and Justice V Lakshminarayanan highlighted significant lapses in the ongoing investigation and ordered the formation of the SIT. The bench also instructed Anna University to provide the victim with free education and boarding, as per a report on Times of India. They also told the management to ensure that the woman's studies remain unaffected by the incident.
On Saturday, the court also took a serious note of the FIR leak. The bench described it as a grave lapse on the part of the police. It criticised the FIR for being poorly worded blaming the survivor and failing to uphold her dignity. Further, Tamil Nadu Director General of Police has been directed to ensure that FIRs in cases involving crimes against women and children are not leaked in the future, as per a report on India Today.
In addition to the compensation, the court directed the police to provide protection to the victim and her family. The state government was ordered to ensure the victim receives Rs 25 lakh for the trauma caused by the leak.
Anna University has been instructed to waive all future fees for the victim and provide her with free boarding facilities to support her education.
On Saturday, National Commission for Women on Saturday also constituted a two-member fact-finding committee to probe alleged sexual assault on a student.