Published Jul 16, 2025 | 2:07 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 16, 2025 | 2:07 PM
Men watching the video in the presence of the survivor was akin to harassing her again, the court said.
Synopsis: Seven male police officers watched the videos while questioning the survivor. The videos were reportedly uploaded by her ex-lover. Additionally, the police also mentioned her name in the FIR.
The Madras High Court has reprimanded seven male police officers for watching alleged non-consensual intimate videos of a woman while questioning her in a sexual harassment case.
Expressing shock over the incident, the court also slammed the police for revealing the identity of the survivor, who had filed a complaint seeking the removal of the videos, allegedly uploaded by her ex-lover, on various digital platforms.
The court emphasized that only women police officers should be assigned to investigate cases related to sexual harassment.
During the hearing, Justice N Anand Venkatesh questioned the police for including the survivor’s name in the First Information Report (FIR), and directed them to remove the name immediately.
According to the law, no information that would lead to identifying the survivor/victim in sexual harassment cases must be made public.
Justice Venkatesh further sought the help of the public prosecutor to sensitise the police department in handling such cases. The policemen watching the video in her presence amounted to repeatedly harassing her, the court said.
When Senior Counsel Abudu Kumar Rajaratnam, appearing for the survivor, submitted that the lewd videos had been uploaded to 39 sites, the court directed the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to ensure that they do not resurface.
The court adjourned the matter to 22 July for further hearing.
The latest incident involving the Tamil Nadu police came even as the department has been cornered by instances of highhandedness, including a custodial death.
