Latest news with #JusticePVelmurugan
Time of India
04-08-2025
- Time of India
HC: Cops delaying temple fete permits will bear full cost
Chennai: Rapping police for delaying grant of permission to temple festivals, Madras high court has warned that it would be constrained to order the investigation officer concerned to bear the full expenses of such temple festivals. "Devotees collecting meagre contributions for temple festivals should not be burdened with the cost of approaching courts because of the police's failure to ensure proper protection. In future, if people are made to run from pillar to post to get appropriate permission to conduct temple festivals, the investigating officer who received the representation will have to bear the expenses for conducting such temple festivals," Justice P Velmurugan said on Monday. The judge also directed the district superintendent of police concerned to initiate departmental action against the police officer concerned who failed to consider such representations from devotees until the last moment. This results in dragging the public to approach the court unnecessarily for getting permission to conduct such temple festivals, the court added. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai The court passed the order on a plea moved by N Sureshkumar of Sulur, Coimbatore, seeking direction to the Sulur police to provide police protection to celebrate 'Aadi Perunthiruvizha' scheduled to be held between Aug 5 and 12 at the Lakshmiamman temple, Paapampatti Village, Sulur. Since the police failed to consider their representation, the petitioner moved the high court.
New Indian Express
26-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Madras HC flags procedural lapses in probing caste discrimination complaints
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has flagged procedural lapses in probing complaints of caste discrimination filed under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and directed the Tamil Nadu DGP to ensure strict compliancy with the law. 'In several matters relating to complaints made under SC/ST (PoA), procedural lapses are being noticed. The second respondent-DGP shall communicate a copy of this order to all SPs who shall ensure strict compliance with the provisions of the SC/ST (PoA) Act and the Rules, particularly Rule 7 relating to rank of the IO (investigating officer) and time-bound filing of final report,' said Justice P Velmurugan in a recent order. Citing a Supreme Court order, he said when a complaint discloses a cognisable offence under the provisions of the SC/ST (PoA) Act, 'no preliminary inquiry is permissible either under this Act or the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC)' and the inquiry on the complaint shall be held by an officer in the rank of a DSP and not by an inspector as provided under Section 7 (1) of the Act.
New Indian Express
25-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Madras HC flags lapses in SC/ST Act cases; directs DGP to enforce strict compliance with rules
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has flagged the procedural lapses committed by the investigating officers while dealing with complaints of caste discrimination filed under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 and directed the Tamil Nadu DGP to ensure strict compliance with the law. "In several matters relating to complaints made under SC/ST (PoA), procedural lapses are being noticed. The second respondent shall communicate a copy of this order to all SPs who shall ensure strict compliance with the provisions of the SC/ST (PoA) Act and the Rules, particularly Rule 7 relating to the rank of the IO and time-bound filing of the final report,' said Justice P Velmurugan in a recent order. Citing a Supreme Court order, he said when a complaint discloses a cognizable offence under the provisions of the SC/ST (PoA) Act, no preliminary enquiry is permissible either under this Act or the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and the enquiry on the complaint shall be held by an officer in the rank of a DSP and not by an Inspector as provided under section 7 (1) of the Act.
New Indian Express
01-05-2025
- New Indian Express
‘Marriage doesn't absolve man from Pocso crime': Madras High Court
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has reversed a special court's order acquitting a man accused in a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, holding that marriage with the victim and leading a happy life cannot be a ground for acquittal. Justice P Velmurugan, while reversing the acquittal order passed by the special court for Pocso Act cases in the Nilgiris, sentenced the man to 10 years of simple imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 1,000. He said, 'The offence under the Pocso Act is not against individual and it is against the society. Hence, the subsequent marriage between the accused and the victim will not take away the offence committed by the accused when the victim girl was a child….' Further, the judge remarked that if the defence of subsequent marriage or elopement is accepted as a ground for acquittal, then the 'purpose of enactment' of the Pocso Act 'would get defeated'; and also will lead to 'disastrous consequences'. The man was charged with sections 343, and 363 of IPC for abduction and wrongful confinement and section 5 (1) r/w 6 of Pocso Act for penetrative sexual assault of the 17-year-old victim girl. On November 30, 2022, the special court acquitted him in the Pocso Act case but punished him with one year imprisonment for the offences under the IPC. He filed a petition in the high court to quash the order of punishment, while the prosecution filed an appeal against the acquittal. The man submitted that he and the girl were in love and when her parents arranged her marriage with another person, in 2020, they left the neighbourhood and stayed at a relative's house in Mysore. Based on a complaint lodged by her father, the police registered a case and secured the girl. Subsequently, they slapped the charges under IPC and Pocso against him and arrested him. During the pendency of trial, they both got married and made submissions regarding this in the trial court.
