9 get life in 2021 Chinthamani petrol bomb case

Karur: The district principal sessions court in Karur on Tuesday sentenced nine people to life imprisonment in connection with the 2012 petrol bomb attack that claimed seven lives in Chinthamani, close to the Madurai bypass check post at Avaniapuram, Madurai.The court on Tuesday ordered life sentence and imposed a fine of 3 lakh each, to be given to the families of the victims. Following the pronouncement of the sentence, all nine were lodged in the Trichy Central Prison. The verdict comes a month after the court found the accused guilty on March 21. The hearing on the quantum of punishment had been adjourned three times before the final order was delivered on Tuesday.The case dates back to October 30, 2012, when a group of youngsters travelling in a vehicle after attending the Thevar Guru Puja celebrations was targeted with petrol bombs within the jurisdiction of the Avaniapuram police station. A total of 13 people sustained injuries and seven died in the attack. The deceased were identified as Jayapandi, Sundara Pandi, Vetrivel, Desingaraj, Ranjith Kumar, Vishnu alias Vishnupriyan, and Sivaraman.The Avaniapuram police had arrested 11 individuals in connection with the case. Cases were registered under various sections of the IPC, including Section 302 (murder), as well as provisions of the Explosive Substances Act. The accused included Ramar Pandi, Manikandan, Karthik, Muthu Viji, Chandrasekhar, Sonaiya, Nagaraj, Muthukaruppan, Mohan, Vignesh, and Santosh. During the course of trial, Muthu Viji and Ramar Pandi were murdered. Following the murder of Muthu Viji in Madurai, the case was transferred to the Karur court on the directions of the Madras high court to ensure the safety of the accused.Timeline:Oct 2012- A group of youths returning from the Thevar Jayanthi celebrations in Pasumpon (Ramanathapuram district) were attacked. An armed gang threw petrol bombs at their vehicle near Chinthamani, close to the Madurai bypass check post. 7 people die and 13 are seriously injured.- Avaniyapuram police register case against 11 and arrest them Two accused get killed:- Muthu Viji gets killed in 2013 in Madurai, following which the case gets transferred to the Karur court.- In 2024, Ramar Pandi, who was returning after a hearing in Karur was also killed. Mar 21-- The Karur court finds them guilty.- But the order on quantum of punishment gets adjourned three times (March 25, April 6, and 15)Apr 21-- The court sentences all the 9 convicts to life