16 people acquitted in murder case: Lower court’s decision overturned
Tamil Nadu: The Chennai High Court has overturned a lower court’s decision to acquit 16 people in the 2010 murder case in Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai.
On June 14, 2010, a gang murdered Ezhumalai in Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai. Sixteen people were arrested in connection with the murder, which was committed due to a previous rivalry.
The 7th Additional Sessions Court of the Chennai District, which heard the case, acquitted all of them, stating that the evidence was insufficient.
Additional Public Prosecutor Damodaran, representing the police department, appealed against this decision in the Chennai High Court. The case came up for hearing before a bench of Justices P. Velmurugan and M. Jothiraman. During the hearing, the judges re-examined the case documents and evidence.
He gave his opinion that the culprits of this premeditated murder cannot be acquitted. Meanwhile, since 7 of the 16 accused in the case had died, the judges ordered the remaining 9 to appear in person.
Accordingly, only Stephenraj and Chandru appeared, while the other 7, including Appu and Saravanan, did not appear. Subsequently, the court sentenced the two who appeared in person to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1000 each. The judges issued arrest warrants against all 7 and ordered the police to produce them in person on 16 February.
