MADURAI: Fourteen persons, including three history-sheeters, were awarded life sentences by the Second Additional District Court, Tenkasi, on Wednesday after being convicted of charges of murder.

The murder occurred during a temple festival over a dispute between two groups of the same community at Kasinathapuram in 2015. Manivel (45) of Kasinathapuram was murdered by a gang including Vinayagam (47), Ulaganathan (48), Sivasubramanian (38), and 14 others.

Pappakudi police registered a case, and on completion of the trial, Additional District Judge S Manojkumar found the accused guilty.Three of the accused — Muthukumar, Pitchaiya, and Muthuraj — had died during the course of the trial.