Techie’s murder: HC summons TN public prosecutor

Chennai: Madras High Court today summoned Tamil Nadu Public Prosecutor and directed him to give his clarification on a media report alleging lack of coordination between Railway Police and local police on the probe into the murder of a 24-year-old woman IT professional at a railway station here.

Taking serious view of the report, a division bench comprising justices S Nagamuthu and V Bharathi Dasan asked Public Prosecutor S Shanmuga Velayutham to verify from the authorities concerned whether there was non-coordination between departments and give his clarification on the matter by 3 PM.

If it was found that there was non-coordination, court will have to suo motu monitor the case, the judge said.

Justice S Nagamuthu, who lead the bench, while taking serious view of the statement of City Police Commissioner that the case will not come in the jurisdiction of the city police, asked the PP whether there is any truth in it.

The police official had stated that though it will not come under their jurisdiction, they will cooperate with the Railway Police into the investigation of the case.

The judge said the court has a social responsibility to monitor these types of cases. Swathi, employed with IT major Infosys, was allegedly hacked to death by an unidentified man on a platform in Nugambakkam Railway Station here on June 24.

She was waiting to board a train on her way to office around 6.30 AM when she was murdered.

The judge, while referring to another incident of acid attack on a woman in Puducherry some years back, also said the Supreme Court had already issued several guidelines regulating sale of acid and asked whether these guidelines were scrupulously followed or not.

PTI