MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court recently observed that any riot or act of violence committed in the name of a leader, without due regard to his true vision or ideology, cannot be justified and shall amount to an insult to the leader’s honour and the very principles he stood for.
A bench of justices AD Jagadish Chandira and R Poornima stated so while recommending payment of compensation to the family of a man who lost his life when a mob pelted stones at his car while protesting against the murder of three persons during Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar’s birth anniversary in Ramanathapuram.
“Had Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar been alive, he would, for sure, have strongly condemned and reprimanded this brutal act, for, according to him, Bravery sans prudence is brutality,” the judges said.
The bench made the observations while acquitting a man, Muthukaleeswaran, who had been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of causing the death of a pilgrim from Kerala, Abubacker (50), who was travelling to Erwadi Dargah on October 30, 2012.
Hearing Muthukaleeswaran’s appeal against the conviction and sentence, the judges noted that Abubacker suffered grievous head injuries when a mob, which allegedly consisted of Muthukaleeswaran and the other accused, had pelted stones at Abubacker’s car while protesting over the murder of three persons, the same day.
Noting that the police failed to conduct a Test Identification Parade (TIP) to identify the accused and the testimonies of witnesses were highly doubtful, the judges observed that the prosecution had not proved the case beyond a reasonable doubt and acquitted Muthukaleeswaran.
Citing that owing to the protestors, an innocent pilgrim had lost his life, the judges said Abubacker’s family should be compensated for and recommended Ramanathapuram District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to grant compensation under the Tamil Nadu Victim Compensation Scheme, 2013, to be disbursed through the Ramanathapuram collector.