The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear an appeal filed by the State of Tamil Nadu against a Maras High Court decision of acquitting prime accused in the 2016 ‘Udumalpet’ Shankar Murder case.
A bench comprising of Justices SK Kaul, Anirudhha Bose & Krishna Murari said that this case certainly required consideration. Earlier on June 22, the Madras High Court had set aside the order of conviction passed by the Principal District and Sessions Court, Tiruppur, against B. Chinnasamy, the prime accused in the 2016 ‘Udumalpet’ Shankar murder case, and ordered that he be released from custody forthwith. The trial court had awarded him death sentence.
Chinnasamy was the prime suspect in the honor killing of Shankar, an engineering student belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) Community, who married Chinnasamy’s daughter, C. Kowsalya.
Chinnasamy was acquitted of all charges, including that of criminal conspiracy, and set aside the death sentence by the judgment of HC. The bench also confirmed the acquittal of Chinnasamy’s wife and her brother from the case, in appeal against acquittal preferred by the State.
Further, the court set aside the order of conviction against Manikandan, accused of harboring the assailants, by giving them accommodation in his house and facilitating their abscondence. Since the court had acquitted the accused of all the charges leveled against them, they are directed to be released forthwith unless their presence/ custody is required in connection with any other case.
