Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

Life term for Bala Prasanna

By Our Staff Reporter

MADURAI, APRIL 7. A Sri Lankan national was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Madurai court today in the Mayurani murder case.

Pronouncing the judgement, the Principal District and Sessions Judge, A.C. Arumuga Perumal Adityan, also held the accused, S. Bala Prasanna (21), guilty of committing robbery and sentenced him to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment. The sentences would run consecutively and not concurrently, the Judge said .

According to the prosecution, T. Mayurani, daughter of a top Sri Lankan Government official, was found dead on the first floor of a house in Anna Nagar here on April 24, 2003. She was a second year B. Sc. (Computer Science) student in a private college. There was a stab injury on her body.

Investigations revealed that Bala Prasanna, then a plus two student residing on the second floor of the same house, had murdered the 21-year-old girl with an intention to rob her of some valuables including a computer, jewels and cash.

Valuables found

Though the Anna Nagar police had initially fixed the house owner, Solamalai Thevar, his wife, S. Rakkammal, and two others as accused in the case , they were found innocent during further investigation. A special team formed to probe the murder seized some of Mayurani's valuables from Bala Prasanna.

Investigators said that Prasanna walked into Mayurani's room on April 22, 2003, at around 3 p.m. and tried to take away her valuables. When the girl offered resistance, he assaulted her, causing a grievous injury. After Mayurani fell unconscious, Prasanna stole her computer, jewels, mobile phone and Rs. 5,000. When she was regaining consciousness, he stabbed her on the neck with a knife. The girl died almost instantly. During the course of the investigation, Bala Prasanna, who was arrested and released on bail, secured admission in an engineering college near Dindigul. The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court dismissed a plea made by the the deceased's kin to transfer the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Beyond doubt

Mr. Adityan observed that the accused was not in a position to explain how he was in possession of the computer, a bracelet, a gold chain (with a `M' dollar) and a key chain of Mayurani. The circumstantial evidence had proved the guilt beyond any reasonable doubt, he said.

The Judge held the accused guilty under Section 392 (robbery) read with 397 (robbery with an attempt to cause death) of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced him to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment . He then sentenced him to life imprisonment under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC. Asked whether he had anything to say about his being convicted, Bala Prasanna remained silent .

A total of 42 prosecution witnesses, 30 pieces of documentary evidence and 48 material objects were examined in the case.

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