MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Friday sought response from the State government on a batch of petitions filed in 2019 and 2020, challenging the premature release of 13 convicts in the Melavalavu massacre case in Madurai, in which six dalits, including a panchayat president, were hacked to death by dominant caste members in broad daylight on June 30, 1997.
A Bench of justices MS Ramesh and N Anand Venkatesh told the Additional Public Prosecutor to ascertain whether the 13 convicts were involved in any SC/ST cases. The judges also directed him to get instructions from police on the allegations made by the victims’ family members that one of the released convicts was also convicted in a double murder case under SC/ST Act in 1991.
They adjourned the matter to November 29. The petitions were filed by the family members of the victims, a Madurai-based advocate P Rathinam and also a Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) cadre Balachandra Bose alias Ulaganambi from Dindigul. They had challenged the G.O.s passed by the State government on November 8, 2019 for the premature release of the 13 convicts.