PALAKKAD: The verdict and sentence in the Attapadi Madhu case were on expected lines, said superintendent of police R Viswanath. He told mediapersons in Mannarkkad that the verdict would be studied and if there is scope for appeal it would be considered. He said that the witness protection scheme also benefited the case.
Asked about the recommendations of the court that those who turned hostile should be punished under the provisions of the IPC, Viswanath said that the steps taken by the police against the witnesses have been stayed by the High Court. He said that after the stay is vacated, suitable action will be taken by transferring the case to the magistrate court.
Asked as to how he felt about the outcome of the case, Viswanath said that the case was proceeding in a manner where the witnesses were turning hostile and the judicial system was being subverted. But we feel that we succeeded in preventing it, he said.
The court appreciated the efforts of the investigating officer who collected the digital evidence. The efforts of the police in investigating the case were laudable, said P Jayan, special public prosecutor of Mannarkad.
Similarly, the court has also clearly stated that the death of Madhu was not due to police torture, he said. Meanwhile, Malli and Sarasu, the mother and sister of the deceased Madhu, said that they were not fully satisfied with the verdict.
The Special Court for Scheduled Castes and Tribes should have stood with the aggrieved but it did not happen so, said Malli, the mother of Madhu. Therefore we will go in appeal in the High Court as the accused should have got life imprisonment, said Malli.
WILL FILE APPEAL: SPL PUBLIC PROSECUTOR
Palakkad: The sentences pronounced by the Special Court in the Madhu lynching case were less than expected and therefore the government would go for appeal against it, said Rajesh M Menon, Special Public Prosecutor. Reacting to the sentences, Menon said that the accused should have been sentenced to a minimum of life imprisonment. The digital evidence proved beneficial in the case. Since the verdict was in favour of the family of Madhu it should be welcomed but it fell short of expectations, he added.