CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Sessions and Mahila Court in Tirupur to complete trial in the case of rape and murder of a policewoman, pending for over six years. Justice M S Ramesh gave the direction while allowing a criminal original petition from P Mariammal of Avalpoondurai in Erode district recently.
According to the petitioner, her daughter was offered a lift by Shankar alias Jaishankar at Adhiyur Road junction on National Highway 47 around 9 pm on August 23, 2009, while she was returning home after bandobust duty.
He took her in a bike to a secluded place in a burial ground against her will and raped and murdered her. He also took away her thali and other valuable items.
The petitioner lodged a complaint with the local police the same day. The case was transferred from the District Court in Coimbatore to the District Sessions and Mahila Court in Tirupur in 2012. Since then it has been pending.
Advocate P Chandrasekaran contended that the proceedings in the case file have been pending in the Tirupur court for more than six years without any improvement. The fundamental right of the petitioner for speedy trial has been denied, he argued.
Justice Ramesh directed the Tirupur court to dispose of the case within three months.