KOCHI: The Kerala High Court will pronounce its verdict in the appeals filed by the accused and the state government in the case relating to the murder of Madhu, a tribal youth who was lynched to death for allegedly stealing rice from a grocery shop in Attappadi, Palakkad, in 2018. The court also directed all accused to appear before it on May 25.
Of the 16 accused, the Special Court for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Mannarkkad, had on April 5, 2023, sentenced 13 persons to seven-year rigorous imprisonment in the case. The 16th accused was sentenced to three months of simple imprisonment and fined Rs 500. The fourth and eleventh accused were acquitted of all charges.
The division bench directed the jail superintendent concerned to ensure the production of those accused currently undergoing sentence, while the remaining accused were directed to appear in person before the court. Currently, 12 convicts are in jail, while one is out on bail.
The prosecution argued that the sentences imposed were not commensurate with the gravity of the offence, contending that the homicide committed by the accused warranted harsher punishment. The state also sought maximum punishment for the accused.
In its appeal, the prosecution stated that it was deeply aggrieved by the trial court’s judgment in the case involving the “cruel and inhuman act” against an adivasi man in an unprecedented manner. It argued that the accused deserved the maximum punishment prescribed under the offences charged against them.
It further contended that the trial court erred in holding that the offence did not amount to murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), but instead constituted culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
According to the state, this finding of the sessions court was contrary to the oral, digital, scientific, and medical evidence presented by the prosecution, which, it claimed, established the offence beyond reasonable doubt.
