Coimbatore child sexual assault case probe moving in right direction, no need for SIT: Madras High Court

Kannampalayam tank near Sulur in Coimbatore district, where the body of a 10-year-old girl was found in the bushes adjacent to the tank enclosure | Photo credit: S. Siva Saravanan

The Madras High Court on Friday (May 29, 2026) said that it is prima facie of the view that the investigation into the sexual assault and murder of a 10-year-old girl in Sulur, Coimbatore is moving in the right direction. Therefore, there was no need to order a court-monitored investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

GR Swaminathan and V. Lakshminarayanan during the summer vacation made oral observations during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition filed by P. Chokalingam of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) who insisted on setting up an SIT to probe the brutal crime.

The judges agreed with Advocate General Vijay Narayan that the police had done their best to quickly arrest two people in connection with the crime. The AG said police were awaiting the DNA report and that charges would be filed immediately after receiving the report.

The AG also said that the investigation of the case was being pursued at the highest level and all efforts were being made to ensure speedy justice. Government counsel (criminal side) R. John Sathyan informed the court that a special public prosecutor has been appointed to conduct the trial against the accused.

After hearing them, the judges decided to dispose of the PIL petition with certain directions related to the dissemination of multiple theories regarding the crime on social media, as the litigant specifically complained of unverified, sensational and damaging material being circulated through press, broadcast and social media.

What does a PIL claim say?

In his affidavit, Mr. Chokalingam said that he is the North Tamil Nadu unit president of the VHP, which has filed many PIL petitions. He said a 10-year-old girl studying in class V was sexually assaulted and murdered on May 21, 2026 by her neighbor.

He said that in similar cases of sexual offenses like the 2024 Anna University student sexual assault case and the Anna Nagar minor girl sexual assault case, the courts had constituted special investigation teams comprising senior police officers and such a provision had helped in speedy prosecution.

The party in the lawsuit accused the media of publishing the victim’s identity, in apparent violation of a legal ban, by publishing photos and videos of family members, and said the state also took no action to prevent such publication.

Mr. Chokalingam also said that a video of Inspector General of Police (West Zone) RV Ramya Bharathi sharing a lighter moment with his colleagues before launching a press conference on the Sulur crime had gone viral on social media and sparked widespread public outrage.

Published – 29 May 2026 13:43 IST