The Madras High Court has issued a directive for the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of Tiruvallur to conduct a personal investigation into allegations of abuse involving Jeyanthan, a remand prisoner at Central Prison-I, Puzhal. The order came after Jeyanthan’s mother, Ananthi, petitioned the court alleging that her son was brutally assaulted by a police officer named Prashanth Pandian on October 16, 2024.
Justices S M Subramaniam and M Jothiraman, overseeing the case, have mandated that the CJM meet with Jeyanthan, record his statement out of the presence of jail authorities, and submit a comprehensive report with observations by December 17. The court’s decision underscores the severity of the accusations and the need for an independent assessment away from potential intimidations by prison staff.
The petition detailed distressing events, beginning with the alleged assault that left Jeyanthan severely injured and unconscious, and his subsequent lack of medical attention. According to Ananthi, when she visited her son on October 18, she found him visibly injured and too frightened to discuss the incident in the presence of a police officer.
Further complicating the matter, Ananthi claimed difficulties in securing medical care for her son. Attempts to speak with the Superintendent of Prison were thwarted, with communications being limited to a phone conversation with the jailor. Moreover, a medical report from the Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging at Government Stanley Medical College Hospital suggested the injury might not have been accidental, prompting serious concerns about the nature and cause of the harm suffered by Jeyanthan.
In response to the allegations, the additional public prosecutor assured the court that Jeyanthan had been permitted to receive medical treatment, yet the justices found the petitioner’s concerns compelling enough to warrant a judicial inquiry.
