The Madras High Court has instructed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to stop harassing journalists regarding the identity leak of a sexual harassment victim at Anna University. Journalists complained of unnecessary questioning and mobile phone seizures. The court urged journalists to cooperate while emphasizing victim privacy and press freedom amidst ongoing legal investigations.
Chennai: The Madras High Court has directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) not to harass journalists under the guise of questioning them in connection with the leak of a sexual harassment victim’s identity at Anna University.
Justice GK Ilanthirayan issued the directive on Tuesday while hearing a petition filed by four Chennai-based journalists who claimed they were being harassed by the all-women SIT investigating the case.
The journalists told the court that they had been summoned multiple times and that SIT officers had even seized their mobile phones. They further alleged that the officers had been asking irrelevant personal questions, including details about their family members, which had no connection to the case.
While restraining the SIT from harassing journalists, the High Court also urged journalists to cooperate with the investigation.
The case revolves around a First Information Report (FIR) in the sexual assault case that was available on the Tamil Nadu State Police website.
The petitioners, who are journalists, said that they had downloaded a copy of the FIR from the official website, where it was initially uploaded without masking the victim’s name and address.
By the time the police realized the mistake and removed the sensitive information, the FIR had already been downloaded by several people, including journalists.
However, the journalists clarified that they had not committed any wrongdoing by downloading the document and emphasized that they did not publish the victim’s details in their reports.
The incident in question took place on December 23, 2023, when a student of Anna University was allegedly sexually assaulted on campus.
Two days later, on December 25, Chennai Police arrested a roadside biryani vendor, Gnanasekaran, as the prime accused in the case.
The survivor filed a complaint with both the police and the university’s Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) for the prevention of sexual harassment.
The Madras High Court took suo motu cognizance of the issue after an advocate wrote to the court, expressing concerns about law and order in Tamil Nadu and the safety of students in Chennai.
This case has once again sparked a debate over victim privacy, press freedom, and the accountability of law enforcement agencies.
FOLLOW US FOR MORE LEGAL UPDATES ON YOUTUBE