The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has granted bail with certain conditions to suspended woman Inspector of Police Sathya Sheela of Ramanathapuram district who was arrested for receiving money from an accused for not taking action in a POCSO case registered in Pudukottai district.
Justice A. A. Nakkiran granted bail with certain conditions to Sheela. The court took into account that the co-accused had already been released on bail. She was directed to appear before CB-CID, Pudukottai district, everyday at 10.30 a.m. till further orders. The State submitted that the investigation in the case was pending.
She was formally arrested through a Prisoner of Transfer (PT) warrant on May 30. Earlier, she had been arrested in connection with a murder reported in Srivilliputtur in Virudhunagar district.
The case of the prosecution is that the petitioner had registered a first information report against an accused for an offence under the POCSO Act. She and her accomplices allegedly received money from the accused to close the complaint. However, it was not closed. Out of frustration, the accused died by suicide. The petitioner said she did not commit any offence as alleged.
On June 18, the court dismissed the bail petition filed by Sheela with regard to the murder reported in Virudhunagar district. In May, a quarrel broke out between two groups of people over the installation of a statue in Muthumariamman Temple in Srivilliputtur. Sheela was part of one of the groups. An elderly man who was assaulted in the incident was rushed to Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai, where he succumbed to injuries later. Subsequently, Sheela was also arrested along with other accused in the case.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416, Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050 and Speak2Us mental health helpline at 9375493754).
