Cuddalore: Eighteen years after the honour killing of inter-caste married couple, a trial court on Friday convicted and awarded death penalty to one person, while convicting and sentencing 12 others to life.
Of the total 15 accused in the case involving the honour killing of Murugesan and Kannagi, the Cuddalore district Special Court Judge S Uthamaraja, acquitted two others in the case.
Among those sentenced to life included a former Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP). The Judge also imposed a total fine of about Rs 12 lakh on the accused.
Delivering the verdict, the Judge said the prosecution has proved the case beyond any reasonable doubt.
After passing orders, the Judge observed that caste-related murders created a black mark in human society and that Kannagi’s death should be the last in the land of Tamilnadu.
The Judge, while passing orders in the morning convicted 13 accused after finding them guilty of the crime and acquitted two others and said he would pronounce the quantum of sentences in the afternoon.
Murugesan’s relatives S Ayyasamy (61) and P Gunasekaran (59) were acquitted by the court on the ground that they were involved in the murder as they were brought to the spot forcibly.
Later in the afternoon, the Judge awarded death penalty to Kannagi’s elder brother D Maruthupandian (49) and imposed a fine of Rs 4.56 lakh.
He also awarded three life sentences to her father C Duraisamy (68), brother D Rangasamy (45), relatives K Kandavelu (54), K Jothi (53), R Mani (66), R Dhanavel (49), V Anjapuli (47), K Ramdoss (52) and N Chinnadurai (50) and imposed a penalty of Rs 4.15 lakh.
The judge also sentenced to life former DSP Chellamuthu and Inspector Tamilmaran and imposed a penalty of Rs 1.15 lakh.
The Judge further ordered the duo give Rs 3 lakh each to Murugesan’s family. Considering the sensitivity of the case, armed police personnel were deployed on security.
The prosecution case was that dalit youth S Murugesan (25) of Puthucolony near Virudachalam in Cuddalore district, fell in love with a Vanniyar girl D Kannagi (22) of the same village while studying in Annamalai University.
On 5 May, 2003, they got married in the Cuddalore Sub-Rgistrar office without informing their parents and relatives.
After the marriage, both were living separately with Murugan asking Kannagi to stay at his relative’s house at Moongilthuraipattu in the then Villupuram district–now Kallakurichi district–while he stayed in another relative’s house at Vannagudikadu near Srimushnam in
Cuddalore district.
After launching a search, her relatives found them on 8 July, 2003 and brought them to Kuppanatham. They took them to the cremation ground in the village and murdered them by pouring poison in their ears, nose and mouth and later burnt their bodies.
Murugesan’s father Samikannu subsequently filed a complaint at Vridhachalam police station. But Inspector M Chellamuthu (66), who had retired as DSP, and Sub-Inspector P Tamilmaran (51), who was later promoted as Inspector and suspended in a bribery case, tried to cover up the honour killing and filed a case against four members each from both families.
On a petition filed by Samikannu, the Madras High Court ordered CBI probe in 2004 and five years later on on 9 March, 2009, the CBI filed a chargesheet in the case arraigning 15 people as the accused.
Those accused in the case included Kannagi’s father, elder brothers, two relatives of Murugesan, DSP Chellamuthu and Inspector Tamilmaran.
Initially, the trial was held in the Cuddalore District Sessions Court and later it was transferred to the Cuddalore District Special Court for the trial of SC and ST cases. Of the 81 prosecution witnesses, 36 turned hostile during the trial.