HC upholds life sentences of 26 convicts in Kachanatham caste murders, acquits one
The Hindu
Madras High Court upholds life sentences for 26 convicts in Kachanatham caste murders, acquits one involved in 2018 attack.
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday upheld the life sentences imposed on 26 convicts involved in the 2018 murder of three Scheduled Caste men at Kachanatham in Sivaganga district, and acquitted one person.
A Division Bench of Justices G.K. Ilanthiraiyan and R. Poornima confirmed the life sentences imposed by the trial court on 26 convicts, while acquitting one person, Ilayaraja.
The High Court was hearing the appeals filed by the accused.
On May 28, 2018, a group of persons belonging to the dominant, intermediate caste attacked the Scheduled Caste villagers with deadly weapons. The assailants were enraged at the members of the Scheduled Caste for not presenting them with temple honours and for sitting cross-legged in their presence.
In 2022, the Special Court for Exclusive Trial of Cases under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Sivaganga imposed life sentences on 27 persons belonging to the dominant, intermediate caste.
The members of the dominant, intermediatecaste entered the households of the Scheduled Castes and attacked them around 9.30 p.m. after disconnecting the power supply. K. Arumugam, A. Shanmuganathan, and V. Chandrasekhar were hacked to death, and Dhanasekaran, who sustained injuries, died of health complications a year later. Several others were injured in the incident.
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