HC confirms life sentence imposed on two for murdering policeman

Trial court had sentenced five persons to life imprisonment

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has confirmed the life sentence imposed on two persons by a trial court in Tirunelveli for murdering a police constable, who tried to stop them from transporting illegally mined sand.

The case of the prosecution was that in 2018, Grade I Police Constable Jagadish Durai, who was attached to the Special Branch of Vijayanarayanam Police Station in Tirunelveli district, found three persons — Murugan, Krishnan and Murugaperumal — carrying illegally mined sand.

He chased them on his motorcycle. While chasing them, he informed the Inspector of Vijayanarayanam Police Station that three men were transporting illegally mined sand. The Inspector directed other police constables to follow the trio.

However, the other police police personnel could neither trace Jagadish Durai nor contact him on his mobile phone. The next day, the Constable was found dead with injuries on his head.

Fourth Additional Sessions Court in Tirunelveli sentenced five of the six accused in the case — Murugan, Krishnan, Manikumar, Rajaravi and Amitabh Bachchan — to life imprisonment. Murugaperumal was acquitted. The convicts challenged the verdict.

A Division Bench of Justices R. Subramanian and N. Sathish Kumar said that the charges against Murugan and Krishnan were clearly established. But, the evidence adduced by the prosecution with regard to the other convicts were not sufficient to base the conviction, the court said.

The judges set aside the sentence imposed on the other three convicts by the trial court and confirmed the life sentence imposed on Murugan and Krishnan.