The DMK has moved the Madras High Court over claims that its earlier government protected granite businessman R. Veeramani in a POCSO case. The party has asked the court to direct the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to examine whether Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and ministers Aadhav Arjuna and C. T. R. Nirmal Kumar have evidence to support their claims.Key HighlightsDMK has approached the Madras High Court.The plea concerns the ongoing Veeramani POCSO case.DMK wants the SIT to examine claims made by Vijay and two ministers.The ministers have publicly alleged that the previous government shielded Veeramani.What has the DMK asked the court to do?DMK Treasurer and Lok Sabha floor leader T. R. Baalu has sought action in the case. The party wants the SIT to call Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and ministers Aadhav Arjuna and C. T. R. Nirmal Kumar.The DMK says the three leaders have spoken publicly about the case and claimed that the previous government protected Veeramani. The party wants the SIT to check the evidence behind these statements.“The three had made accusations against the DMK in connection with the case,” the DMK said in its complaint to the SIT. What are the allegations about the earlier government?The issue has become a political dispute in Tamil Nadu. Vijay and his ministers have questioned why action against Veeramani was not taken earlier.DMK president M. K. Stalin has rejected the allegation that his government protected Veeramani. Stalin said no order was given by the DMK government to protect anyone in the case. He described the allegations as false and defamatory. What is the SIT investigating?A Special Investigation Team was formed to investigate the POCSO case and related matters. The team includes senior police officers from Chennai and the Tamil Nadu police department. Veeramani was arrested in August in connection with allegations involving the sexual abuse of minor girls. Police have continued to examine evidence and statements in the case. Recent reports said another case was registered against him after a complaint by the mother of a girl who died by suicide in 2014What happens next?The Madras High Court plea puts the claims about the earlier government before the court in the ongoing legal process. The SIT will continue its investigation into the allegations and related evidence.The High Court has also advised against politicising the sensitive case.
