Madras High Court Directs Media to Withhold Information on Veeramani POCSO Case
Chennai: The Madras High Court has directed media and digital platforms to withhold information on the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act case against GEM Granites chairman R. Veeramani, except what is officially shared by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
The court has restrained media outlets and digital platforms from publishing or broadcasting any video or other material related to the case that could touch upon the investigation or risk identifying victims.
Formation of All-Woman SIT
On the orders of the Tamil Nadu government, an all-woman SIT has been set up to probe the POCSO case against Veeramani. The team is headed by P.C. Thenmozhi, Additional Commissioner of Police, Central Crime Branch.
Members of the SIT include Disha Mittal, Joint Commissioner of Police Law and Order, West, J. Mutharasi, Superintendent of Police, and V.V. Geethanjali, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime Against Women and Children.
Madras High Court's Directive
After some videos purportedly related to the case were circulated by a few media houses, the Madras High Court directed the media and digital platforms to not disclose any information related to the POCSO case other than what is officially shared by the SIT through press statements.
Justice V. Lakshminarayanan observed that premature circulation of such material could have a chilling effect on other victims and urged sensitivity, saying there is 'something more important in life than TRP ratings'.
The court directed the newly formed SIT to issue a press release once a week so the public remains informed of the progress of the probe through official channels only.
Police Action Against IPS Officers
The Tamil Nadu government has also placed two senior IPS officers, A. Arun and N. Kannan, on compulsory wait amid an inquiry into the handling of the POCSO case against Veeramani.
The action against the two IPS officers came amid scrutiny of how the case was handled after a video purportedly showing the sexual assault of a minor girl was submitted to the Anti-Vice Squad in 2025.
According to a government order, A. Arun, Additional Director General of Police and Director of the Tamil Nadu Police Academy at Oonamanchery, and N. Kannan, Inspector General of Police and Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore City, were placed on compulsory wait with immediate effect.
