TN to seek review of youth’s acquittal in rape-murder of minor

Chennai: Tamil Nadu govt has decided to file a curative petition in the Supreme Court seeking a relook of its judgment acquitting Dashwant in the 2017 rape and murder case of a six-year-old girl near Porur.

A submission to this effect was made by the govt before a vacation bench comprising Justice G R Swaminathan and Justice V Lakshminarayanan, when it took up a petition filed by Madurai-based S Venkatesh seeking a direction to the state to challenge the acquittal order.

Dashwant was arrested in connection with the sexual assault and murder of the six-year-old girl in 2017. A special court for Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act cases in Chengalpet district had sentenced him to death, which was upheld by the Madras high court in 2018.

However, in Oct last year, the Supreme Court set aside the death sentence and ordered his release.

In the present petition before the high court, Venkatesh alleged that it had been represented before the Supreme Court on behalf of Dashwant that the high court had granted leave permitting an appeal before the apex court. However, information obtained under the Right to Information Act revealed that no such leave was ever granted by the high court.

The petitioner further claimed that a complaint had already been lodged before the Supreme Court in this regard saying it amounted to misleading the judiciary and contempt of court. He, therefore, sought a direction to the Tamil Nadu govt to file a seek a relook of the acquittal order.