The Supreme Court of India stayed the Madras High Court’s directive for a departmental inquiry against Tamil Nadu Police regarding an FIR leak in a sexual assault case involving an Anna University student. The state argued the leak was due to a technical glitch, not negligence, while still agreeing to the formation of a Special Investigation Team for the case.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday (Jan 27th) stayed a direction passed by the Madras High Court to initiate a departmental inquiry against Tamil Nadu Police officials in connection with the leak of the FIR in the sexual assault case involving a student from Anna University, Chennai. The bench, comprising Justices BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma, issued the interim order after hearing arguments from both sides.
The Madras High Court had earlier directed the Tamil Nadu Police to conduct an internal inquiry and disciplinary action against officials accountable for the FIR leak. However, the apex court stayed this direction, specifically referencing Paragraph 29(9) of the High Court’s order, which stated:
“The respondents 1 and 2 are directed to conduct a departmental inquiry regarding leaking of FIR and initiate departmental disciplinary proceedings against the officials, who all are responsible and accountable for lapses, negligence and dereliction of duty under relevant service rules.”
The Supreme Court also stayed other adverse observations made by the High Court against the police in three paragraphs of its order.
Representing the Tamil Nadu government, Senior Advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Sidharth Luthra argued that the FIR leak was caused by a technical glitch in the National Informatics Centre (NIC) system and was not due to police negligence. Rohatgi informed the bench that the details of the FIR were inadvertently viewable online due to the glitch but were promptly blocked.
“We had blocked it on day one, but it appeared on day two…,”
stated the Tamil Nadu counsel, adding that the NIC has been sensitized to ensure such incidents do not recur.
Luthra emphasized that the leak occurred through the central NIC system, which manages the citizen portal, and not due to any action by state police. He noted that a second FIR has been registered to investigate the leak and assured the bench that “all URLs have been blocked” to prevent further circulation.
The Tamil Nadu government clarified that it is not challenging the High Court’s direction to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising three senior women IPS officers or the Rs. 25 lakh compensation awarded to the victim. Rohatgi remarked,
“I am not aggrieved with the formation of SIT. I am not aggrieved with the protection.”
The state argued that the High Court erred in making adverse remarks about the police’s handling of the case, particularly the press conference held by the Commissioner of Police two days after the incident. The High Court had called the press conference “highly unwarranted” and pointed to “several lapses” by the police.
The state government countered, saying the Commissioner’s press conference was necessary to address public unrest at Anna University and clarify the immediate actions being taken. “I go to the university, the young people were up in arms,” said the government counsel, adding that transparency was vital to ensure trust.
During the hearing, Advocate Balaji Srinivasan, representing a petitioner, raised concerns about potential political interference, alleging that the accused was a member of the ruling party. Srinivasan argued that the state should allow a CBI inquiry into the case, claiming a “cover-up” by the police. However, the state opposed the demand for a CBI probe, asserting that the SIT is sufficient for a fair investigation.
After hearing submissions, the Supreme Court issued notice to the respondents on the Tamil Nadu government’s petition. It will examine the High Court’s observations and the handling of the FIR leak issue.
Case Title – THE GOVERNMENT OF TAMIL NADU AND ORS. v. R. VARALAKSHMI AND ORS., SLP(Crl) No. 1027-1028/2025
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