Udumalpet Honour Killing: Supreme Court Takes up Tamil Nadu Govt's Plea Against Verdict of Madras HC

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine the appeal filed by the Tamil Nadu government challenging the Madras High Court order acquitting the prime accused in the 2016 Udumalpet “honour killing” case.

A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Aniruddha Bose and Krishna Murari, granting the permission to appeal, said the case needs to be considered.

It also said that the array of parties should be amended to incorporate Tamil Nadu government as a party to the case.

Counsel, appearing for the state government, also sought direction from the top court to prevent the accused from travelling abroad. However, the bench said it is not inclined to pass any such orders.

In June, over two years after a sessions court in Tiruppur sentenced to death six of the 11 accused in the murder of V. Shankar, a Dalit youth who married a woman from a higher caste, the Madras High Court set aside the death sentence imposed on the woman’s father B. Chinnaswamy and acquitted him of all charges.

It also commuted the death sentence of the other five accused to 25 years imprisonment. The trial court in December 2017 had acquitted woman’s mother Annalakshmi and uncle Pandidurai.

The murder of 22-year-old victim outside the Udumalpet bus stand was captured by a CCTV camera and the video footage went viral on social media, leading to protests in the state.

Shankar’s wife Kausalya became the lead prosecution witness in the case against her parents and others.