Justice M. Nirmal Kumar ordered that the Mahila Court should complete the process of recording the statement, as required under Section 25 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act of 2012 before Thursday because only after that the police would be able to ascertain the veracity of the allegations.
CHENNAIHigh Court directs Mahila Court to expedite recording of victim’s statement in POCSO case
Legal CorrespondentCHENNAI24 MAY 2020 00:30 ISTUPDATED: 24 MAY 2020 00:30 IST
The Madras High Court has directed an Additional Mahila Court at Alandur here to record the statement of a minor girl who was reportedly subjected to sexual intercourse by her former lover, after she got married to another person, by blackmailing her with nude pictures that he had shot after sedating her post marriage.
Justice M. Nirmal Kumar ordered that the Mahila Court should complete the process of recording the statement, as required under Section 25 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act of 2012 before Thursday because only after that the police would be able to ascertain the veracity of the allegations.
The direction was issued while hearing a bail petition filed by the accused S. Udhaya alias Udhayakumar of Semmenchery here. He had been arrested and remanded to judicial custody on March 21 after the registration of a First Information Report at an All Women Police Station in Guindy under the POCSO Act.
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The accused claimed that the alleged victim was actually his sister’s classmate and that they both were in love. When their love affair came to light, her parents got her married to another person. Even after the marriage, she continued her relationship with the petitioner, he claimed and said that a false complaint had been lodged against him.
On the other hand, the complaint was that he had actually sedated the girl after marriage, taken her nude photographs and used them to coerce her for sexual intercourse. The police told the judge that though a requisition was made on March 21 for recording the victim’s statement, the Mahila Court was yet to proceed further.
After recording the submission, the judge ordered recording of the statement before May 28 and adjourned the bail petition to May 29
