CHENNAI: In a sensational murder and dacoity case that jolted Tamil Nadu two decades ago, a city court on Monday awarded at least four life sentences to be served consecutively to each of the three convicts of the infamous “Bawaria” gang for the 2005 murder of then AIADMK MLA and former minister K Sudarsanam at Thanakulam near Periyapalayam.
Of the four accused tried in the case, one was acquitted. The Chennai Sessions Court had convicted the three on Friday on various charges. The sentence was pronounced on Monday.
Delivering the long-awaited verdict, XV Additional Sessions Judge L Abraham Lincoln awarded four life sentences to be served one after another for Jagadish (68) alias Gunna of Rajasthan, five life sentences for Rakesh (55) alias Guddu of Haryana, and four life sentences for Ashok (56) alias Laxman of Rajasthan. All three were already lodged in prisons as they were serving their sentence in another case.
The fourth accused, Jaildar Singh alias Lalimaster, who was out on bail, was acquitted.
The court also imposed fines on the convicts ranging from Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000. The court described the offence as brutal, premeditated, and carried out with the intent to terrorise.
According to the prosecution, the attack took place around 2.30 am on January 8, 2005, when an armed gang descended on Sudarsanam’s residence in Tiruvallur district. They assaulted the MLA’s son Satish Kumar (28) with iron rods. Sudarsanam, who rushed to his son’s rescue, was shot dead from close range.
His younger son Vijaykumar was locked inside a room before the gang fled with cash and jewellery weighing around 60 sovereigns. A special team headed by then Inspector General of Police (North) S R Jangid cracked the case, eventually identifying the culprits as members of the interstate Bawaria gang, which had been allegedly carrying out dacoities and robberies along highways in Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states for many years. Two prime accused, Omprakash Bawaria (Oma) and his brother Boora, later died in prison.
Additional Public Prosecutor G Sreenivasan said the prosecution examined 66 witnesses and produced 52 exhibits and 17 material objects, including two country-made guns and two lorries. He described the verdict as a significant achievement in a case that required painstaking investigation across multiple states. The judge pronounced the sentences, which were later translated into Hindi for the convicts.