CHENNAI: The Madras High Court had overturned the acquittal passed by a trial court in a murder that occurred in 2013 at Villupuram and convicted 21 accused and sentenced them to life in prison.
Baskar of Katrambakkam village and Krishnaveni of Kiliyanur had a prior enmity connected to Panchayat election-related activities.During a temple festival in 2013, Baskar was murdered. Following the incident, Kiliyanur police registered a case and arrested 23 accused, including Krishnaveni, Madhanraj, Madhankumar, Kathamuthu, Rani, and Parthiban. During the pendency of the proceedings, two of the accused passed away.
The I Additional District and Sessions Judge, Tindivanam, by judgment dated 2017, acquitted the remaining 21 accused, holding that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond all reasonable doubt. Challenging the acquittal, the deceased's wife, Amutha, preferred a criminal appeal before the High Court.
The appeal was heard by a Division Bench comprising Justices P Velmurugan and M Jothiraman. Allowing the appeal, the Bench held that, on a careful re-appreciation of the entire evidence on record, the prosecution had proved its case beyond all reasonable doubt and had also established the presence of the accused as members of an unlawful assembly and the existence of a common object to cause the death of the deceased.
The evidence of the eye-witnesses was cogent and consistent, inspired the confidence of the Court, and stood corroborated by other material evidence.
Accordingly, the acquittal order of the trial court was set aside, and all 21 accused were convicted of the offence of murder. Each of them was sentenced to undergo life imprisonment and to pay a fine of Rs 1,000.
Upon a plea by the convicts seeking suspension of sentence to enable them to prefer an appeal before the Supreme Court, the High Court granted a stay of the judgment for a period of 90 days.