Former deputy mayor of Tamil Nadu's Tiruchy gets 10 years jail for cheating wife
TIRUCHY: A former deputy mayor of Tiruchy has been sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment by a women’s court here for cheating a young woman with promise of marriage and deserting after she became pregnant.
M Asick Meera (32), son of the late former environment minister N Mariyam Pichai, was among five individual found guilty in the case.
In 2014, the woman N Durgeshwari (32) had filed a complaint with the Golden Rock AWPS, claiming to be Meera's first wife. She alleged that Asick Meera concealed his relationship with Durgeshwari to marry another woman, a relative of his. She said her three-year-old daughter Karishma Asick was Asick Meera’s child.
After the complaint surfaced, the AIADMK leadership asked Asick Meera to step down as deputy mayor and the police began an investigation into the complaint. The women’s court found that all statements made by Durgeshwari were true and convicted Meera, his mother Maimoon Sharifa, and friends Chandrababu and Saravanan.
After finding Asick Meera guilty under five sections of the Indian Penal Code, judge Jacintha Martinthe sentenced him to a total of 30 years in prison. But the sentences would run concurrently, and the actual jail term would be limited to 10 years - the highest awardable under Sections 376 and 313 of IPC.
Maimoon Sharifa received a sentence of 10 years rigorous imprisonment, while the other two were awarded seven years each. In addition, a fine of Rs 50,000 was slapped on the five convicted.