Published Sep 24, 2026 | 1:46 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 24, 2026 | 1:46 PM
Veeramani, along with two associates, Shanthi and her husband Mahendra Simhan, was arrested in August.
Synopsis: The Chennai POCSO Court has deferred the bail petitions of Shanthi and Mahendra Simhan, who were arrested along with Gem Granites founder R Veeramani in a child sexual abuse case, to 29 September. In their bail petitions, the two said nearly three weeks had passed since their arrest but the police had not taken them into custody for questioning.
The Chennai POCSO Court has deferred the bail petitions filed by Shanthi and her husband, Mahendra Simhan, who were arrested along with Gem Granites founder R Veeramani in the child sexual abuse case.
In their bail petitions, the two said nearly three weeks had passed since their arrest but the police had not taken them into custody for questioning. They also maintained that they had committed no offence.
The court adjourned the hearing to 29 September to allow the police to file their response.
The petitions follow the arrest of another associate of R Veeramani by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Tamil Nadu police. The arrested person, Ganesan, allegedly worked for Veeramani and is being investigated for his role in handling financial transactions connected with the case.
Based on Ganesan’s statements during interrogation, the CCB police on Wednesday conducted searches at five locations in Chennai.
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The case dates back to October 2025, when a child welfare volunteer approached an inspector of the Anti-Vice Squad of the Greater Chennai Police and handed over a pen drive.
The volunteer said an unidentified person had given him the device at his office, claiming it contained a video of R Veeramani allegedly committing a sexual offence against a minor girl in the bedroom of Shanthi’s house.
The police examined the video and found footage showing an adult man allegedly committing a sexual offence against a minor girl. The Anti-Vice Squad of the CCB registered a case under the POSCO Act on 7 October 2025.
However, the agency later sought closure of the case, citing “lack of evidence”. In its closure report before the special POCSO court in Chennai, it said the incident shown in the video had occurred in 2019 and that the identity and whereabouts of the minor girl were not known.
The agency also cited eyewitness statements and statements from R Veeramani, Shanthi and her husband, Mahendra Simhan, to state that the man in the video was not Veeramani.
The court rejected the closure report on 19 August and ordered further investigation, giving the agency four weeks to complete it.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
