The Madras High Court in the case Halideen v. The Superintendent of Police and others observed and has directed the Tamilnadu police for filing of an Action Taken Report with regards to the investigations in the Villupuram Ashram Case.
The bench comprising of Justice M Sundar and Justice Nirmal Kumar in the case observed and has seek the report while hearing a Habeas Corpus plea with respect to the missing of a 70-year-old inmate Zafirullah from the Ashram.
In the present case, Anbu Jothi Ashram being a rehabilitation home in Kundalapuliyur, Villupuram. Zafirullah, who did not have any other family and was being admitted into the Ashram by the petitioner in the plea at the request of Salim Khan, Zafirullah’s nephew who lived in the USA. Lately, when they wished to meet him and visited the ashram, they found him to be missing. Therefore, they were also being informed by the ashram that Zafirullah had been transferred to the facility in Bengaluru due to wanting of accommodation. Thus, it also ended up to the visit in vain to Bengaluru as Zafirullah was untraceable and no responsible answer was given by the ashram. A case has been filed of a man missing and later the habeas corpus petition was filed before the court.
The ordered an investigation into the man missing case, after the habeas corpus petition was filed. The court found that the investigation revealed a series of illegal detention, sexual assault, torture and the suspected human trafficking across state borders.
It was also found that the home had been functioning without a valid registration or license for almost two decades. Further, it has also been revealed in the investigation that the women inmates were raped by the employees. Several other inmates were chained, tortured and were being attacked by caged monkeys inside the home.
The court also shifted the 142 residents of the home to the Government hospital at Mundiampakkam where they are being treated. Further, the case has been registered by the police of rape and harassment of women against the ashram owners and their workers.
The said court was also informed by the Additional Public Prosecutor R Muniyapparaj that Jubin Baby, who being the owner of the ashram had been arrested. The court transferred further investigation to the CB-CID. Therefore, the said court then sought an Action Taken Report which is to be filed by February 27.
