The Kerala High Court on Tuesday reserved its judgment for May 25 in the appeals related to the Attappadi Madhu mob lynching case. The appeals were filed by the state government, Madhu's mother Malli, and the convicts in the case.
Court Directs Production of Convicts
The division bench of Justices V Raja Vijayaraghavan and K V Jayakumar directed the jail superintendent to produce the 12 convicts currently serving their sentences before the court at 10:15 am on May 25. The court also ordered four other accused to be personally present on the same day. These include one accused currently on bail, two earlier acquitted by the trial court, and one who has already undergone the sentence imposed on him.
Background of the Case
Madhu, a tribal youth from Chindakki hamlet in Attappadi, was allegedly killed by a local mob on February 22, 2018, after being accused of stealing food items from a grocery shop. According to the prosecution, Madhu sustained severe head injuries, bruises all over his body, broken ribs, and internal bleeding. He collapsed and died while being taken to the hospital.
Trial and Convictions
Sixteen accused were arrested and faced trial before the SC/ST Special Court in Mannarkkad. The trial court convicted 14 persons: Hussain, Marakkar, Shamsudheen, Radhakrishnan, Aboobacker, Sidhique, Ubaid, Najeeb, Jaijumon, Sajeev, Satheesh, Hareesh, Biju, and Muneer. Two others, Aneesh and Abdul Kareem, were acquitted. Among the convicts, 13 were sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Muneer received three months' imprisonment and a fine of Rs 500 for assaulting the victim.
Appeals Filed
The state government and Malli appealed to the High Court challenging the quantum of punishment awarded to the convicts and the acquittal of two accused. The convicts also filed separate appeals challenging their convictions. The trial was marked by controversy, with 24 prosecution witnesses reportedly turning hostile. The trial court had dropped the murder charge and convicted the accused under Section 304(II) of the IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) along with provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
