The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : 25 get bail in bus-burning case

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Wednesday, Mar 14, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

25 get bail in bus-burning case

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has suspended the sentence imposed on 25 persons, who were awarded seven-year rigorous imprisonment in the Dharmapuri bus-burning case, and ordered their release on conditional bail.

A Division Bench comprising Justice R. Balasubramanian and Justice Prabha Sridevan passed the interim order on the appeals preferred by the 25 persons who were found guilty of less grave offences by the First Additional Sessions Court in Salem on February 16.

Three others, who were awarded death sentence by the Sessions Court, too have challenged the trial court order.

Of the 31 accused, 28 were found guilty by the trial court, two acquitted of all charges, and one died during the course of the trial.

Normal practice

On Tuesday, admitting the appeals, the Bench said, "Whenever a person committed offences which were less grave in nature, as in this case, they would normally be released on bail."

Holding that there was no reason to deviate from that stand, the Judges also pointed out the stand of the appellants that if not acquitted, they would continue to be in prison for seven years on the basis of the trial court's direction that their sentences would run consecutively.

The Judges said the trial court had not found that the present appellants shared any common objective with the other assailants, who had actually set fire to the bus, in which three innocent college girls were charred to death.

Suspending the sentence as prayed for, the Judges then directed the 25 persons to furnish personal bond for Rs. 25,000 each along with two sureties each for a like sum. They were also directed to appear before the CB-CID everyday at 10 a.m.

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