The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Double life term for youth upheld

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Saturday, Apr 21, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Double life term for youth upheld

Special Correspondent

Accused set ablaze former girlfriend and her husband

CHENNAI : The Madras High Court on Thursday confirmed the double life imprisonment awarded to a youth, who set ablaze his former girlfriend and her husband in 1997.

Manickavasagam was found guilty of double murder by the Fast Track Court-III at Chengalpattu in June 2005 and was awarded double life-terms, which would run concurrently.

He was charged with pouring petrol through the ventilator of a room, where the newly wed couple was staying, and setting them ablaze.

Electrical short circuit

Senior counsel for Manickavasagam argued that there was no dying declaration connecting the youth with the crime and it was suspected that the incident occurred due to electrical short circuit.

However, Additional Public Prosecutor N.R. Elango said that a receipt given by the petrol bunk from where the accused bought petrol had been recovered from him. The accused also sustained an injury during the incident. The deposition of witnesses, who said they saw Manickavasagam running away from the scene of crime, too strengthened the case.

Upholding the Fast Track Court order, a Division Bench comprising Justice R. Balasubramanian and Justice T. Sudanthiram rejected the defence argument that there was no dying declaration against the accused.

Though the couple was conscious and were in a position to talk at the time of admission in hospital, they were not aware of what had happened outside their room.

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