HC told chargesheet filed in Tuticorin minor rape-murder case, orders ₹10 lakh compensation

Madurai: The state government on Thursday informed the Madras high court that the final report has been filed in the case relating to the sexual assault and murder of a Class XII girl in Tuticorin district.Submitting a status report, the state said the accused had been arrested, and the chargesheet filed before the trial court. An interim compensation of ₹5 lakh had been provided to the victim's family, and steps were taken to appoint a special public prosecutor. Disciplinary proceedings have also been initiated against personnel of Vilathikulam All Women Police Station and a special sub-inspector from Kulathur police station for delay in registering the FIR on the missing complaint, the government said. A division bench comprising Justices N Sathish Kumar and M Jothiraman directed the trial court to expedite proceedings and complete the trial within the time frame mandated under the Pocso Act. The court also directed the state to pay an additional ₹10 lakh compensation to the victim's family and to pursue disciplinary action against the erring police personnel. The directives were issued while disposing of a public interest litigation filed by advocate K Mareeshwari, who had sought a CBI probe and compensation for the victim's family. The case pertains to the murder of a 17-year-old girl, who went missing on March 10 and was found dead the next day near her house in Tuticorin district. Police had registered a case under Section 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and relevant provisions of the Pocso Act. The accused, Dharma Muneeswaran, 38, of Ramanathapuram district, was arrested in the case. He had earlier been convicted in a 2020 rape and murder case in Tuticorin district and was out on bail on certain conditions after the high court suspended his sentence in Dec 2025. MSID:: 129983652 413 |