THOOTHUKUDI: A Special Pocso Court in Thoothukudi on Monday awarded double death penalty to a 38-year-old man for the sexual assault and murder of a Class 12 student in Thoothukudi in March, bringing the trial to a close within 54 days.
Special Judge M Breetha sentenced M Dharma Muneeswaran of Sayalkudi to death on two counts, one for rape and another for murder, holding that the case qualified as the “rarest of rare”.
The 17-year-old victim had stepped out of her house on the night of March 10 to attend nature’s call but did not return. Her body was found the following day at a village on the outskirts of Thoothukudi town.
Kulathur police arrested Muneeswaran on March 19 and booked him under relevant provisions of the Pocso Act and other sections of law.
During the trial, the court noted that the accused had been convicted in March 2025 in a case relating to the rape and murder of a 60-year-old woman, an offence alleged to have been committed in 2020 within Ettayapuram police limits, and was released on conditional bail in December 2025. To expedite proceedings, the state government appointed Special Public Prosecutor V Ellammal Kissinger. The trial was conducted between May 5 and May 18.
“In spite of being given a chance to repent, he committed another grave offence of a similar nature, and that too against a girl of his daughter’s age. Hence, he deserves the death penalty,” the judge observed.
Addressing reporters in Madurai, South Zone Inspector General of Police Vijayendra S Bidari said the case was initially treated as a blind investigation with no immediate leads.
He said 10 special teams were formed and investigators traced the accused after identifying suspicious movement in CCTV footage recorded around 1.5 km from the victim’s village.
The IGP lauded Vilathikulam DSP M Sundarapandiyan and the investigating team for filing the chargesheet within 21 days, which helped complete trial proceedings within 54 days.
Chief Minister Vijay welcomed the verdict and said the student had been sexually assaulted and murdered in March and that the court had delivered its judgment within three months of the incident. In a statement, he said 71 witnesses had been examined during the trial. Welcoming the judgment, Vijay said the verdict would strengthen the government’s efforts to ensure the safety of women and children.
The victim’s father also welcomed the verdict and said his wife had not eaten properly for several days after their daughter’s death.
Meanwhile, the accused’s mother, Lingammal of Rajapandi Nagar in Thoothukudi, claimed her son was innocent and said he had been at home at the time of the incident. She further claimed that Muneeswaran had lived away from the family for the past 13 years, leaving behind his wife and children.
The court did not impose any financial penalty on the convict.
Back in the dock
2020: Allegedly committed the rape and murder of a 60-year-old woman within the Ettayapuram police limits
2022: Arrested in connection with the case
March 2025: Convicted in the case
December 2025: Released on conditional bail
March 2026: Accused of sexually assaulting and murdering a Class 12 student within the Kulathur police limits
May 2026: Awarded a double death sentence; the court cited his status as a repeat offender and failure to reform while invoking the “rarest of rare” doctrine