‘Gem Granites’ Veeramani POCSO case: PIL in Madras High Court seeks CBI or SIT probe

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Police at the Gem Granites office on Cathedral Road, Gopalapuram. Image used for representation | Photo Credit: R. Ragu

A public interest litigation (PIL) petition has been filed in the Madras High Court, seeking the transfer of investigation into a case registered against granite baron R. Veeramani, for having subjected minor girls to sexual assault, from the Greater Chennai City police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

The First Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan on Friday (September 25, 2026) told Senior Counsel N.L. Rajah, who made a mention, that the case would be taken up for hearing after the Registry verifies whether the papers were in order and numbers the petition.

C. Rajhasekaran of Chennai had filed the PIL plea stating that serious allegations concerning sexual abuse of minor girls had come to light in Chennai recently, and the revelations with regard to the matter also point to gaps regarding the manner in which the investigation was conducted initially.

He said that the Central Crime Branch police in Chennai had registered a First Information Report (FIR) with respect to the offence on October 7, 2025, after a child rights worker had approached the police and handed over a pen drive containing a video of sexual abuse of a minor girl.

The investigation thereafter did not result in immediate identification of the minor or the arrest of the persons allegedly involved in the crime. The police, instead, filed a report before a special court for Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2021, expressing their decision to drop further action.

However, the special court refused to accept the report and ordered further investigation. The subsequent investigation resulted in the arrest of the granite baron and two of his co-accused. The investigation widened substantially thereafter, and some of the victims were idenitified and their statements were also recorded.

Though the investigation was proceeding in a swift manner, “the press and media have already taken the matter by all the assumptions and linked up all the political parties and other persons who held high constitutional posts. It is submitted that it is not only interrupting the ongoing investigation but also creating vagueness in the mind of the general public,” the petitioner complained.

Highlighting that photographs have surfaced on social media of Ministers of the ruling party (the TVK) as well as leaders of Opposition parties having rubbed shoulders with the prime accused, the petitioner said that those images were being used to portray that the politicians were hand in glove with the accused.

“It is submitted that the press and media, across all formats, are utilising the said images in order to prejudice the minds of the general public,” he said and urged the court to order a probe either by the CBI or a Special Investigation Team (SIT), as the issue was being “sensationalised and politicised.”

The petitioner also sought a direction to the press and media, including social media, and the general public from, in any manner, circulating any pictures, screenshots, videos or any content in relation to the case of sexual assault.

In the meantime, Justice V. Lakshminarayanan of the High Court on Friday agreed to hear by afternoon an urgent writ petition filed by Tulir Charitable Trust (for prevention and healing of child sexual abuse) seeking a direction to the Tamil Nadu government, State police, and television channels India Today, Republic TV, Sathyam TV, and others to identify, remove and disable access to the Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material (CSEAM).

The petitioner organisation said: “The circulation of such material outside the investigative process raises serious concerns regarding the custody and confidentiality of highly sensitive evidence and poses an immediate and continuing threat to the privacy, dignity, and safety of the victims.”

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