Stories
Gem Veeramani POCSO Case: Plea to Transfer to CBI Rejected by High Court
- •A plea was made in the Chennai High Court to transfer the Gem Veeramani POCSO case to the CBI.
- •Gem Granite owner Veeramani and others have been arrested for sexually assaulting minors.
- •Senior advocate N.L. Raja requested an urgent hearing before Chief Justice S.A. Dharmadhikari's bench, citing leaked videos of minor girls.
- •The judges stated that a special investigation team has been formed and the police should continue the investigation.
- •The court said that if a formal petition is filed, it would be taken up for hearing.
Key Questions Answered
When senior advocate N.L. Raja requested an urgent hearing to transfer the Gem Veeramani POCSO case to the CBI, the Chennai High Court judges stated that a special investigation team had already been formed and allowed the police to continue the investigation. The bench noted that if a formal petition were filed regarding the plea, it would be taken up for hearing.
Gem Granites owner R. Veeramani (84) along with his associates Shanthi and Mahendra Simhan were arrested on August 29, 2026, under provisions for sexual offenses against minors and remanded to judicial custody. Additionally, a former employee named Ganesan was arrested by the Central Crime Branch for withholding an incriminating video found on his mobile phone.
Shanthi and Mahendra Simhan filed for bail in the POCSO Special Court, questioning the validity of the proceedings due to a significant delay between the alleged 2019 offense and the October 2025 FIR registration. They argued that the complainant was neither a victim nor a legal guardian, that evidence had already been collected without police seeking their custody, and that they had been held for weeks.
