Sunday, October 6, 2019

Madras HC acquits 5 life-term convicts in murder case

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court acquitted five life convicts and modified the sentences of four others in a murder case.

Published: 06th October 2019 03:34 AM |


Madras HC (File | EPS)

By Express News Service

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court acquitted five life convicts and modified the sentences of four others in a murder case. A bench comprising Justices S Vaidyanathan and N Anand Venkatesh passed the order on a batch of appeals filed by the convicts – Ganesan, Balamurugan, Deivendran, Kasivelu, Sivasubramanian, Durairaj, Selvaraj, Sivasankaran, Vijayakumar and Sathaiah – challenging the conviction and sentence awarded to them by a lower court in Paramakudi in Ramanathapuram on August 31, 2017, for the murder of one Murugesan over a temple dispute in 2009. Two more accused in the case, including Sivasankaran, have died and one was acquitted by the lower court.

The Judges, in their order, observed that the maxim “falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus” (meaning false in one thing, false in everything) has not been applied in India. “Hence, even though a major portion of the evidence is found to be deficient, if the residue is sufficient to prove the guilt of an accused, the same can be used to convict an accused”, the judges opined.

Therefore, based on the overt acts attributed to the accused persons and the evidence that is available to substantiate the same, the Judges held that there were no sufficient proofs with regard to participation of Deivendran, Kasivelu, Sivasubramanian, Durairaj and Selvaraj in the murder of Murugesan and acquitted them.The Judges also modified the sentences of remaining accused in such a way that only Ganesan and Balamurugan would be facing life imprisonment while Vijayakumar and Sathaiah were awarded three years and one year rigorous imprisonment respectively.

Challenged the conviction

A bench comprising Justices S Vaidyanathan and N Anand Venkatesh passed the order of acquitted five life convicts and modifying sentences on a batch of appeals filed by the convicts challenging the conviction and sentence awarded to them by a lower court in Paramakudi on August 31, 2017, for the murder of one Murugesan

No comments:

Post a Comment

Devising a foolproof system to ensure credibility of NEET

Devising a foolproof system to ensure credibility of NEET  Recommendations suggested by a seven-member committee to reform the exam have met...