Court reduces duo’s life-term to 10-year rigorous imprisonment

CHENNAI: A division bench comprising Justice PN Prakash and Justice RMT Teekaa Raman modified an order of a district sessions court sentencing a duo to life-term for murdering a man who opposed them dancing in a marriage function, reducing it to 10-year rigorous imprisonment.

The bench passed the order on hearing a petition filed by Balaji and Soundararajan, residents of Melamanjanur, Thandarampattu taluk in Tiruvannamalai district.

The petitioners pleaded to set aside the order of the principal district and sessions judge dated March 2019 imposing the life-term, besides Rs 5,000 each as penalty. According to them, they did not murder the man, Gandhi, with any motive or intention.

“The occurrence is said to have been taken place due to the wordy quarrel between the deceased and the appellants herein, without any motive and without any intention,” the petitioner’s counsels submitted.

Recording the submissions, the judges modified the order of the trial court and sentenced the accused to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.

According to the Balaji and Soundararajan, they were dancing at a bridegroom procession party in October 2012, Gandhi asked them to stop. When they met him a few days later, they entered into an altercation, which resulted in the death of the victim.