DINDIGUL: Former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam’s younger brother O Raja and five others were acquitted in the Kailasapatti temple priest suicide case by the Dindigul special court on Wednesday morning.
According to legal sources, Nagamuthu (22) a priest from D Gallipatti near Periyakulam in Theni was involved in some dispute with the temple authorities for a few years. Sources added that he and the then temple trustee O Raja were not on good terms.
Nagamuthu died by suicide on December 7, 2012. A case was registered by the Periyakulam Thenkarai police against seven persons including O Raja for abetting his suicide.
It was transferred to Dindigul special court in December, 2015 as per the orders of the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court.
Sources further said that one of the accused, Pandi died after a few years.
Around 23 witnesses and four pieces of evidence were examined in the case against the six culprits.
After lengthy legal proceedings, Judge Muralitharan pronounced the day of judgement. O Raja and the other accused were present during the pronouncement.