CUDDALORE: The special court for cases under Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Cuddalore on Monday sentenced four persons, including two women, to double life imprisonment for their involvement in the murder of a scheduled caste girl near Bhuvanagiri in 2014.
As per police, S Panjanathan (50) filed a complaint at Bhuvanagiri Police Station on July 8, 2014, stating that his daughter, P Seetha (28), had gone missing. Subsequent investigations revealed that Seetha, a member of a scheduled caste community, had married A Saravanan (36) of Melbhuvanagiri, a caste Hindu, on May 5, 2014.
On June 17, Saravanan had brought Seetha to a house in a private garden on the Chidambaram bypass road, where Vengatesan (51), his brother-in-law, worked as a watchman. Together, they murdered Seetha by assaulting her with firewood, while Vengatesan’s wife, V Sakundala (47), and mother-in-law, V Selvi (61), stood outside the house.
Subsequently, they burnt Seetha’s body in the garden. “Seetha belonged to a Scheduled Caste, while Saravanan belongs to a caste Hindu, and thus his family decided to eliminate her due to perceived insult to their family,” stated police sources.
Following the missing case, Saravanan and Vengatesan surrendered before a court and VAO of Melbhuvanagiri respectively.
Consequently, the missing person case was converted into a murder case, and the four perpetrators were also charged under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The trial took place in the Cuddalore District Special Court for the trial of cases under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, with Judge S Uthamaraj delivering the verdict on Monday.
Judge Uthamaraj handed down double life imprisonment to Saravanan, Vengatesan, Selvi, and Sakundala, along with fines of Rs 25,000 for the men and Rs 20,000 for the women.