Kachanatham caste killing case: Madras high court upholds life sentence imposed on 26 persons, acquits one

MADURAI: Madras high court on Thursday upheld the life sentence imposed on 26 persons, acquitted a man in connection with a caste violence incident where three people belonging to the Scheduled Caste community were murdered in Kachanatham village in Sivaganga district in 2018.

A division bench of Justice G K Ilanthiraiyan and Justice R Poornima dismissed the appeals preferred by 26 persons challenging the conviction and life sentence imposed on them by the trial court. The court allowed an appeal preferred by a man and acquitted him from the case.

On May 28, 2018, three men belonging to the scheduled caste community - K Arumugam, A Shanmuganathan and V Chandrasekaran were killed and several others sustained injuries as they were assaulted by people belonging to the other community in a dispute over a temple festival at Kachanatham village in Sivaganga district. The people from Avarangadu and its surrounding villages entered Kachanatham village around 9.15 pm and started assaulting the people indiscriminately.

Following this incident a case was registered against the accused persons. They were booked under various sections of IPC including murder and under sections of SC/ST Act. In August 2022, the special court for exclusive trial of cases under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Sivaganga, convicted and sentenced 27 accused to undergo life imprisonment. Challenging the same, all the 27 persons had preferred criminal appeals before HC.