TIRUNELVELI: The III Additional Sessions Court in Tirunelveli has sentenced three men to life imprisonment for the 2021 murder of a temple priest belonging to BC community in Seevalaperi, a case that had triggered tension between two communities.
The convicts, identified as Thangapandi (29), Pechukutti (29) and Murugan (28), all from the MBC community and history-sheeters, were found guilty of murdering Chidambaram alias Durai (41), a priest at the Sudalaimadasamy temple.
According to the prosecution, the murder occurred following a dispute over the setting up of shops near the temple during its annual festival. The Seevalaperi police registered a case and arrested the accused along with a few others. After completion of the trial, III Additional Sessions Judge Robinson George, upon examining the evidence, convicted the three.
The court awarded life imprisonment to all three under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Additionally, they were sentenced to three years’ imprisonment under Section 506(ii) (criminal intimidation) and two years under Section 148 (rioting with deadly weapons).
Murugan, the third accused, received an additional 10-year sentence under Section 307 (attempt to murder) for attacking a relative of the deceased during the incident. The court also imposed a fine of `5,000 on each of the convicts.
Police sources noted that in 2022, another relative of the deceased, Mayandi, was murdered allegedly for assisting witnesses in the case. A separate case has been registered in connection with that incident.
Superintendent of Police V Prassannakumar commended the investigating officers for securing the conviction.
In a statement, he said that in 2026 alone, convictions have been secured in three murder cases in Tirunelveli district, leading to punishment for seven accused persons, including life imprisonment for six, among whom three are history-sheeters.
He added that the police will continue efforts to ensure offenders are brought to justice by diligently pursuing cases and producing witnesses before courts until their lawful conclusion.