MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recently transferred the trial in an honour killing case from the II Additional District & Sessions Court (PCR) in Tirunelveli to the III Additional PCR Court in Madurai.
Justice M Dhandapani passed the order based on a petition filed by S Chinnakannu, the father of the deceased. Chinnakannu had alleged that the accused persons hailed from a dominant caste in Tirunelveli region and were threatening witnesses against deposing before the court.
According to Chinnakannu's petition, his son Sivagurunathan fell in love with a woman who worked as a nurse at a private hospital in Dindigul. The woman hailed from a caste-Hindu family in Tirunelveli, and the couple continued their relationship even after she moved back home, he added.
On October 5, 2016, the girl's family members called him to Tirunelveli on the pretext of holding marriage talks and killed him, Chinnakannu alleged. After the trial in the case began, the friends and relatives of the accused gather outside the court premises on hearing dates and intimidate the witnesses, he stated.
Fearing that he would not get a fair trial if the case is heard in Tirunelveli, he sought a directive from the court.