HC stays FIR against journalist in sexual abuse case

Chennai: The Madras High Court has stayed an FIR filed against journalist Prakash M Swamy for alleged sexual abuse of a woman.

Passing the interim order on a petition by the journalist seeking to quash the FIR, Justice N Anand Venkatesh on July 23 posted the case after eight weeks for the next hearing.

"There shall be an order of stay of investigation," the order read.

Earlier, the FIR was filed by the All Women Police Station in Royapettah after the complainant, a city-based woman, approached a metropolitan magistrate court on the matter since no action was taken against her earlier complaint.

The woman had alleged Swamy sexually abused her after coming forward to sort out some issues in her passport.

In his petition, Swamy sought quashing of the FIR on the rejecting the allegations.

He also submitted he had met her "only three times" in public places and he never visited her house.

He also contended the complainant "mentioned four different dates of alleged visits to her house".

Police should have checked the CCTV footage of the complainant's flat or the visitors' register maintained by the security there, he said.

Earlier, during the hearing of an anticipatory bail plea by Swamy in this case, his counsel had said since he had inquired into the mysterious death of the complainant's husband, she developed a grudge and lodged the "false" complaint.