Referred trial cases: TN HC notice to govt in death sentence convictions

MADURAI: The Madras high court has ordered notice to the

state government

while hearing two referred

trial cases

on Friday in which the lower courts had awarded death sentences to the convicts.

In the first case, a man was awarded triple death sentence for sexual assault and murder of a 7-year-old girl at

Pudukottai district

in 2019. The girl who was staying in her grandmother’s house used to go to a nearby temple to play. After the girl went missing on June 30, 2019, her parents lodged a complaint at the Embal police. Subsequently, police found the body of the girl in an isolated place with multiple injuries. Following this incident, police arrested M Raja for sexually assaulting and murdering the girl.

During December last year, the

Pudukottai

district mahila court convicted and sentenced Raja to undergo triple death sentence.

Hearing the referred trial case, a division bench of justices K Kalyanasundaram and G Ilangovan ordered notice to the state and adjourned the case to a further date for hearing.

Similarly, the judges also ordered notice to the state government while hearing another referred trial case where the Theni court awarded death sentence to a man for murdering his

pregnant wife

.

M Suresh married N Karpagavalli when she was just 14 years old. She gave birth to two children and became pregnant for the third time. Suspecting her fidelity, Suresh often tortured her by injuring her using cigarette butts and beating her up.

He picked up a quarrel with Karpagavalli on July 21, 2015 and punched her on her private part and abdomen with his fist. The woman bled profusely, resulting in abortion. She was admitted to hospital where she died the next day. Subsequently, the Chinnamanur police registered a case and arrested him.

In December last year, the Theni district fast-track court convicted and awarded death sentence to Suresh for murdering his wife and causing the death of his unborn child.