MADURAI: The death sentence imposed on a 38-year-old man recently for the sexual assault and murder of a Class 12 student in Thoothukudi in March has been referred to the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court for approval.
A bench of justices N Anand Venkatesh and KK Ramakrishnan granted time to convict, M Dharma Muneeswaran, to file an appeal against the conviction and death sentence and adjourned the case to June 12.
The girl’s body was found on the outskirts of the town on March 11, a day after she went missing after stepping out of her house for nature’s call at night. The Kulathur police in Thoothukudi had arrested Muneeswaran on March 19.
A speedy trial was conducted and he was found guilty by the Special Court for Pocso Act Cases in Thoothukudi on May 25. Noting that he was already convicted for the sexual assault and murder of a 60-year-old woman and had committed the above crime taking advantage of the bail granted to him in the case in December 2025, the special court considered it ‘a rarest of rare case’ and sentenced him to death.
When the death sentence was referred to the high court for approval, the division bench asked Muneeswaran, who appeared through video conferencing from Madurai Central Prison, whether he would be filing an appeal against the trial court’s order.
The judges adjourned the case to June 12 as he said he has engaged an advocate and would be filing an appeal soon.