CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Monday sentenced seven persons, including two women, to life imprisonment by reversing an acquittal order of a trial court in a murder case. The court has already sentenced two other accused in the case to life sentence.
A division bench of justices P Velmurugan and M Jothiraman passed the orders declaring the punishment as the accused persons were already found guilty by re-appreciation of evidence in the case on hearing the appeal filed by the state against a 2017 acquittal order.
The seven accused have been identified as P Saravanan, Y Appunu, G Gurumurthy, B Srinivasan, R Nagarajan, P Lakshmi and A Selvi. The matter pertains to the murder of Ezhumalai of Thiruvanmiyur on June 14, 2010, by a gang due to previous enmity.
The police registered cases against 16 people. Two of them died when the case was pending before the trial court. The seventh Additional Sessions Court, in 2017, acquitted the remaining 14 people saying charges were not proved beyond doubt.
The state filed an appeal against this acquittal order. Five of the accused died when the appeal was pending in the high court and charges against them were abated.
Additional public prosecutor A Damodharan appeared for the prosecution.
The bench has remarked that any defect or lapses in investigation will not affect the case of the prosecution and found the evidence deposed by eyewitnesses as cogent, consistent and reliable.