SALEM: All but two of the 30 persons accused in the Dharmapuri bus burning case, dating back to 2000, were found guilty by a sessions court here on Thursday.

Three of them were found guilty of committing serious offences such as murder and attempt to murder.

First Additional District Sessions Judge D. Krishna Raja, who delivered the judgment in a packed court hall, said he would specify the quantum of punishment in each case to the convicted persons on Friday. While two of the accused were acquitted of all charges, one died during trial.

The judge ordered the cancellation of bail for the three main accused persons and remanded them to judicial custody till Friday. The three — Nedu alias Nedunchezhian (41), Madhu alias Ravindran (44) and Muniappan (52) — were convicted under Sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC, in addition to other offences.

The others, including the first accused and former union secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Dharmapuri, T. K. Rajendran, were directed to appear before the court on Friday after executing individual bonds. Mr. Rajendran and 24 others were found guilty under Sections 188 (disobedience to the order duly promulgated by public servant), 147 (unlawful assembly with deadly weapons), 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 read with 149 (common intention), 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substances with intent to cause damage) and other provisions of the Tamil Nadu Public Property (Prevention of Destruction) Act.

Earlier, summing up his final argument, Special Public Prosecutor R. Srinivasan submitted that it should be treated as the "rarest of rare" cases, wherein the accused were involved in the heinous crime of burning three hapless girl students alive. They should be awarded capital punishment.

"Brutal act"

He said it was a "brutal, despicable and diabolical" act executed with the sinister intention of achieving cheap political gains. "Such people, whose brutality was beyond human comprehension, should not be allowed to remain in society. They also could not be corrected and hence deserved to be given the maximum punishment."

Three girl students of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University were burnt alive when a mob set their college bus on fire at Ilakkiampatti in Dharmapuri on February 2, 2000, following a Special Court order convicting former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in the Kodaikanal Pleasant Stay Hotel case.

The Madras High Court, based on a petition filed by N.P. Veerasamy, father of one of the victims, Kokilavani, transferred the case to Salem from Krishnagiri and ordered fresh trial.

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