Chennai, Oct 27 ( BPNS)

The Madras High Court on Wednesday turned down a plea by the Special DGP of Tamil Nadu Police, to transfer sexual harassment against him on a complaint by a woman IPS officer. The Special DGP wanted the case to be transferred from the Villupuram Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court to a judicial court with territorial jurisdiction.

The Special DGP wanted the case to be transferred from the CJM court, Villupuram citing reasons that the court does not have the territorial jurisdiction to the judicial magistrate court have territorial jurisdiction on the place where the crime had allegedly taken place. The woman IPS officer had complained that the Special DGP had harassed her when they both were on bandobast duty during the tour of the then  Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Edappadi K Palaniswamy during February 2021 between Namakkal and Udumalpet.

The case was heard by the Single bench judge of Madras High Court, Justice P Velumurgan who completed the hearing on October 20 and reserved the orders for Wednesday.

The advocate appearing for the Special DGP argued that according to the FIR in the complaint, the alleged offense had taken place between Namakkal and Ulundurpet, and the allegation against the second accused SP Kannan was taken place at Chengalpattu. The counsel for the accused argued that no case was registered in the jurisdiction of Villupuram magistrate court. Justice Velmurugan had dismissed as withdrawn another case field by the second accused SP Kannan who is suspended from service.

The counsel for the petitioner had withdrawn the case after Justice Velumurugan made some adverse remarks against the conduct of the police officers over the issue. Superintendent of Police, Kannan is accused of having stopped the vehicle of the woman police officer at Chengalpattu toll plaza while she was on her way to file a complaint at the police headquarters. Kannan is accused of stopping the vehicle and made the woman speak with the accused DGP over the telephone.