Madurai: Twenty-five years ago, local DMK functionary Maran took to the streets after then Union minister Murasoli Maran and former chief minister M Karunanidhi were arrested in a midnight police operation that shook Tamil Nadu politics. This week, the protest came back to haunt him, after a Madurai court sentenced Maran and two others to four years in prison for an incident that unfolded inside the district court complex on June 30, 2001. The damage at the centre of the case was valued at just ₹730.
After joining a protest near Thedeer Nagar, Maran and several cadres were arrested and brought to the Madurai district court for remand. What was supposed to be a routine production before a magistrate soon turned into another criminal case.
According to the prosecution, the group pelted stones inside the court premises, damaging a notice board near the PCR court and breaking window panes in three other court halls. Eleven glass panes and a notice board were damaged. The public works department assessed the loss at ₹730.
When inspector Vanamamalai tried to stop the group, a stone struck his right ear, causing a bleeding injury that later became a separate charge in the case. The case then outlived governments, elections and even some of the accused. The chargesheet was filed in 2001. The case reached sessions court in 2005. Two accused died before the verdict. Two others remained unavailable and their cases were split. Maran himself surrendered in court on multiple occasions as non-bailable warrants were recalled over the years.
On June 10, the IV additional district and sessions court convicted Maran, 57, S Ganesan, 58, and P Gopalakrishnan, 66, for rioting, damaging public property, obstructing a public servant and causing injury during the incident. Judge M Udhayavelavan, observing that no leniency could be shown for damage caused inside a court complex while in police custody, imposed four years of simple imprisonment under the Tamil Nadu Public Property Damage Act, with all sentences ordered to run concurrently.
Timeline of the Maran Case
- June 30, 2001: Protesting Murasoli Maran’s arrest ends in another arrest.
- Dec 21, 2001: Chargesheet filed for damaging court property worth ₹730.
- June 16, 2005: Case reaches Sessions Court as legal battle begins.
- Oct 22, 2024: Formal charges framed after deaths, absconding accused, delays.
- June 10, 2026: Maran convicted; protest case ends with four years’ jail.
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