The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Emotional scenes as court hands life term to 6 youths

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 11, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Emotional scenes as court hands life term to 6 youths

By A. Subramani

CHENNAI, NOV. 10. Amidst an emotionally-surcharged atmosphere, a sessions court here sentenced six youths to life imprisonment in a case of murder committed three years ago.

Their family members began wailing when the third additional sessions judge, P. Ramalingam, delivered the judgment. Five of the accused were on bail and brought to the court in the High Court complex; the sixth was in jail.

The police bundled the six into a van and drove away to the Chennai Central Prison. Even as the van sped, the mothers and wives of the convicts ran behind, crying. The wives, many of them cradling toddlers, fell on the ground, wailing and cursing officials. The convicts too were sobbing.

Of the 11 accused, Vijayakumar, Thirunavukkarasu, Prakash, Mani, Vellai Ravi and Suresh were found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment and a Rs. 1,000-fine on the charge of murdering Kandan in October 2001. The judge acquitted Yesudoss, Anthony, Ganga, Robert and Selvan.

The prosecution said the gang attacked Kandan, a day after he and a friend had picked up an argument. The assailants hacked Kandan with deadly weapons. Admitted to the Stanley Hospital here with serious injuries, he died two days later.

Based on the Kandan's dying declaration made before a judicial magistrate, circumstantial evidence and deposition of witnesses, the judge concluded that the six youths had committed the murder. The prosecution failed to prove the involvement of the others, he said.

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