VIRUDHUNAGAR: Srivilliputhur Town Police arrested a 36-year-old man on Monday on charges of attempted murder, after he allegedly hurled a billhook at the judge inside the Special Court for SC/ST (POA) Act Cases within the Srivilliputhur Court Complex. The same judge is set to hear a maintenance case filed by the suspect’s wife on Tuesday.
Sources said the weapon hurled by the man -- Balamurugan (36), an engineering graduate from Sengulam -- landed near the advocates’ table, triggering panic and chaos inside the courtroom.
The police personnel on duty immediately apprehended Balamurugan, who was arrested by the Srivilliputhur Town Police based on a complaint from a staff member of the court. He was remanded to
judicial custody late on Monday.
According to police sources, Balamurugan’s wife, Thanga Muneeswari (28), had filed for a divorce due to marital disputes. The couple has a three-year-old son. Balamurugan has been allegedly undertaking treatment for mental health issues and was working with his parents on their farmland.
In the divorce case, an ex parte decree was passed in the court around six months ago, as Balamurugan repeatedly failed to appear or respond to the summons.
Recently, Muneeswari also filed a maintenance case before the Family Court in Srivilliputhur, and Balamurugan did not appear for the latest hearing. On Monday morning, his mother allegedly reprimanded him for failing to attend the hearings and warned that he might be required to pay monthly maintenance.
Assuming that the verdict had already been pronounced, Balamurugan, allegedly in a fit of rage, hurled a billhook inside the courtroom, where the special court judge, who also serves as the judge (in-charge) of the Family Court, was present.
The police said that the suspect entered the court premises by scaling the rear compound wall by using a stool that he had fetched from his nearby farmland, and concealed a weapon inside a bag.
Strict security arrangements are in place at the court complex, with more than eight personnel deployed at the main entrance to screen visitors, added the police.