Court awards 7-year RI to 13 convicts in Madhu lynching case

The Special Court for SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Mannarkkad, which tried the sensational lynching case of Attappady tribal youth Madhu on Wednesday sentenced 13 persons to seven years of rigorous imprisonment.

The Special Court for SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Mannarkkad, which tried the sensational lynching case of Attappady tribal youth Madhu on Wednesday sentenced 13 persons to seven years of rigorous imprisonment (RI).

.Judge K.M. Retheesh Kumar had on Tuesday convicted 14 of the 16 accused under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The judge on Wednesday awarded separate sentences to them. When 13 of them were awarded seven years in prison and different amounts of fines, one was awarded three months’ prison and a fine of ₹500.

The accused number one, Hussain, was slapped seven years’ imprisonment under IPC Section 304 (ii) for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, two years under Section 147 for rioting, one year under Section 342 for wrongful confinement, one year under Section 323 for causing injury, and six months under Section 143 for unlawful assembly. He will have to undergo the sentence concurrently. He was also slapped a fine of ₹1.05 lakh.

Twelve other accused, Marakkar, Shamsuddeen, Radhakrishnan, Aboobacker, Siddeeque, Ubaid, Najeeb, Jaijumon, Sajeev, Satheesh, Hareesh, and Biju, were sentenced to seven years in prison under IPC Section 326 for voluntarily causing serious injury, seven years under Section 304 (ii) for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, five years under Section 367 for abduction, three years under Section 149 for unlawful assembly with common object, one year under Section 342 for wrongful detention, one year under Section 323 for causing injury, two years under Section 147 for rioting, six months under Section 143 for unlawful assembly, and two years under Section 324 for hurting with weapons. They too will have to undergo a maximum seven years’ imprisonment as the sentences are concurrent. They have been slapped a fine of ₹1.18 lakh each.

The accused number 16, Muneer, was given three months’ prison under Section 352 for assault. He was slapped a fine of ₹500. He was set free as he had already undergone the punishment as a pre-trial prisoner.

The court instructed that 75% of the fine amount levied from the accused should be given to the next of kin of Madhu. The 50% of the fine should go to Madhu’s mother, Malli.