The Supreme Court on Monday stayed parts of the Madras High Court's order from December 28, which included critical remarks about Chennai's Police Commissioner and other officials. These remarks related to the leak of the FIR and the identity of the survivor in the alleged sexual assault of an Anna University student.
A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma stayed the High Court's direction for a departmental inquiry into the FIR leak. The Supreme Court also stayed parts of the High Court’s order that noted police lapses. This included paragraphs 20, 21, 23, and 29(9), which identified failures by the police and called for an inquiry into the negligence of the officials involved.
The Supreme Court also issued a notice regarding Tamil Nadu’s appeal. The state has asked the court to expunge the adverse remarks made by the Madras High Court about the police’s handling of the case.
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During the hearing, senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Siddharth Luthra represented the state government. They argued that the leak of the FIR and survivor's details was caused by a "technical glitch" in the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), which is managed by the Centre.
Rohatgi explained that the FIR was accidentally exposed due to the transition from the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. He emphasised that the state and the police were not opposing the formation of an all-women Special Investigation Team (SIT), as ordered by the High Court.
Earlier, the Madras High Court had criticised Chennai’s Police Commissioner for holding a press conference about the case without prior government approval. The High Court described this as an inappropriate action. It also labelled the leak of the FIR as a serious police lapse that caused trauma to the victim and her family. Additionally, the High Court condemned the wording of the FIR, which it said encouraged victim-blaming.
The sexual assault, which involved a second-year engineering student, took place on December 24, 2024, on Anna University’s campus in Chennai. The victim, an on-duty doctor, was allegedly raped and murdered by Sanjay Roy, who has since been convicted.
The High Court had ordered the formation of an all-women SIT to investigate the case. While the state government and police did not oppose this decision, they raised concerns over the High Court’s remarks about the FIR leak and police lapses.
The Supreme Court's stay on the High Court's order means that the police officers involved will not face an immediate departmental inquiry. The Special Investigation Team will continue its investigation as directed by the High Court.
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