The Hindu : Front Page : HC cancels bail of 19 life convicts

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HC cancels bail of 19 life convicts

Mohamed Imranullah S.

MADURAI: Mass absence of counsels to argue criminal appeals in the Madras High Court Bench here on Thursday led to the cancellation of bail granted to 19 life convicts from Madurai, Karur, Pudukottai, Virudhunagar and Tuticorin districts.

A Division Bench comprising Justice R. Regupathi and Justice R. Subbiah passed the orders as it was irked over non-appearance of all but one lawyer, who appeared in the afternoon and sought apology, to argue the appeals listed for the day.

Passing separate but identical orders in the criminal appeals, most of which were pending since 2001, the Judges directed the High Court Registry to issue non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against all the 18 persons convicted in different murder cases.

On receipt of the NBWs, police officers from the five districts were directed to arrest the convicts and produce them before the Judicial Magistrates concerned for remanding the appellants to judicial custody. “When the matter is taken up for final disposal, it is the bounden duty on the part of the appellant to instruct his counsel to pursue the case. It is unfortunate that… the counsel is not ready to cooperate with the court to dispose of the appeal,” the Bench said. Of the appellants, six were from Tuticorin; four each from Virudhunagar and Karur; two from Madurai and one each from Tirunelveli and Pudukottai. The list included three women of whom one was 13 years old while committing the offence in 2000.

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