CHENNAI: Madras high court has ordered notice to Tamil Nadu government and the CBI on a PIL filed by a group of women lawyers a seeking direction to the CBI to appoint a high-ranking woman police officer to head the investigation into the Pollachi sexual abuse cases, and to safeguard the victims and their family members under the Witness Protection Scheme, 2018.Admitting the plea on Friday, first bench of Chief Justice V K Tahilramani and Justice M Duraiswamy directed the state government and the CBI to file their responses by April 25.The petitioners - G Chamki Raj, A Arulmozhi, A S Ajeetha, Adhilakshmi Logamurthy, R Sudha and Kiruba Munusamy - also wanted the court to direct the state government to provide One Stop Crisis Centre along with Standard Operating Procedures that is victim-centric. Survivor support services for trauma care through psychologists/psychiatrists, medical care, legal aid, assistance of women's rights activists and other such measures also should be extended to the victims, they said.Representing the petitioners, senior counsel R Vaigai submitted that the state had created a hostile situation by disclosing the name and identity of the victim who had lodged the complaint."The victims are in urgent need of support, including doctor, psychologist and legal aid. We were told that even engagement of a victim was cancelled due the prevailing situation," senior counsel Vaigai added.Though the senior counsel insisted on an early date, the bench refused saying "we do understand the problem".The petitioners also wanted the court to direct the chief secretary of Tamil Nadu, home secretary and DGP to provide One Stop Crisis Centre along with Standard Operating Procedures that is victim-centric and survivor support services for trauma care as well as witness protection under the Witness Protection Scheme.Earlier, a single judge of the court had permitted Tamil magazine Nakkheeran editor R Gopal to appear before the superintendent of police, CB-CID, at his office in Chennai instead of his camp office in Pollachi in connection with a summons issued by CB-CID in the Pollachi sexual harassment case. Gopal has been directed to appear on April 1.The court passed the order on a plea moved by Gopal challenging the summons. When the plea came up for hearing, his counsel contended that Gopal had been summoned to Pollachi only to be harassed.The petitioner submitted that he apprehended law and order problem if he visited Pollachi as he had strongly criticised Pollachi V Jayaraman, deputy speaker of the assembly, in connection with the case. State public prosecutor submitted that it would be appropriate for the petitioner to appear in Pollachi.However, concurring with the submissions of Gopal, the judge permitted him to appear in CB-CID's Chennai office.

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