Sivaganga Special Court imposes life term on 27 convicts in Kachanatham triple murder case

On May 28, 2018, three men of a Scheduled Caste were murdered and many sustained grievous injuries when an armed gang from the dominant community unleashed violence in Kachanatham village, following a dispute over presenting temple honours

The Special Court for Exclusive Trial of Cases under SC/ST (PoA) Act in Sivaganga on Friday imposed life sentence on 27 convicts in the 2018 Kachanatham triple murder case.

On May 28, 2018, three members of a Scheduled Caste were murdered and many sustained grievous injuries when a group of people from the dominant community attacked them with deadly weapons following a dispute over presenting temple honours in Kachanatham. Three persons K. Arumugam, A. Shanmuganathan and V. Chandrasekhar were hacked to death.

Special Court Judge G. Muthukumaran had convicted 27 accused persons in the case on August 1. A total of 33 persons, including four juveniles, from a dominant community were named as accused in the case. One person is absconding and one person died during the trial in the case.

The Special Court judge had heard the 27 convicts and the family members of the victims through video-conferencing on August 3 on the quantum of sentence.

In 2019, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had observed that the brutality with which the crime was committed by a mob from the dominant community had a telling effect on the peace and tranquillity of society at large, while dismissing the criminal appeals filed by some of the accused in the case who challenged an order of the Special Court that denied them bail.

Also read:Dalit murders show the cruel face of caste in Sivaganga’s Kachanatham village