CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has transferred the Gokul Raj ‘honour killing’ case, from the Sessions Court in Namakkal to a court in Madurai, on Wednesday. “There is nothing honorable in such killings and in fact, they are nothing but barbaric and shameful acts of murder committed by brutally and feudally minded persons who deserve harsh punishment,” Justice G K Ilanthiraiyan said while ordering the transfer of the case.
Allowing a criminal original petition from Chitra, the mother of deceased Gokul Raj, the judge observed that he finds valid reason for the transfer of the trial from the file of the present court in Namakkal to some other court. Accordingly, the case is hereby withdrawn from the Namakkal court and transferred to the Principal Sessions court in Madurai, the judge said.
According to the prosecution, the deceased was abducted by the accused and was taken to Orukkanpalam, where he was severely beaten up and abused with filthy language. They also forced him to make a statement that he was committing suicide due to failure of love with an upper-caste girl. Accordingly, he gave the statement which was videographed by the accused in their cellphone. Later, they severed his head and threw the body on the railway track, to make it appear as a suicide.
The allegation of the petitioner is that the accused are very influential persons and if the trial is permitted to be proceeded further, she would not get justice. It is very unfortunate that the caste system is still in persistence in India and is destroying and dividing the entire nation. There is a valid reason for the transfer of the trial, the judge added, and accordingly ordered the transfer.