2 months ago
1
The Madras High Court, connected Wednesday (February 25, 2026), dismissed a State entreaty preferred successful 2019 against the 2018 acquittal of 9 individuals who were suspected to beryllium the members of wood brigand Veerappan’s pack which abducted Kannada histrion Rajkumar connected July 30, 2000 and held him hostage for 108 days.
A Division Bench of Justices P. Velmurugan and M. Jothiraman confirmed the bid of acquittal passed by the 3rd Additional territory and sessions tribunal astatine Gobichettipalayam successful Erode territory connected September 25, 2018 and held that it did not find immoderate crushed to interfere with the well-reasoned proceedings tribunal verdict.
In his verdict, the sessions justice K. Mani had pointed retired that the First Information Report (FIR) regarding the abduction was registered astir 24 hours aft the incidental and that excessively connected the ground of a ailment lodged by Village Administrative Officer (VAO) Gopal who was not an oculus witnesser to the incident.
The VAO had claimed to person gained cognition astir the incidental lone done the wide nationalist though according to the prosecution, Rajkumar and 3 others were abducted from his ancestral workplace location astatine Gajanur colony successful Thalavady Taluk of Erode territory successful the beingness of galore others.
Further, the day successful the FIR had been corrected from July 30, 2000 to July 31, 2000 and determination was nary notation successful it regarding immoderate transgression conspiracy having been hatched by the accused to abduct the actor. The VAO had besides not spoken astir immoderate conspiracy successful his grounds earlier the court, the proceedings tribunal said.
Veerappan’s audio cassette, demands
Highlighting different inconsistencies successful the prosecution case, the sessions justice said, the constabulary had claimed that Veerappan had handed implicit an audio cassette to Rajkumar’s woman Parvathamma and instructed her to manus implicit the cassette containing a database of demands, to the Karnataka Chief Minister earlier approaching the police.
According to the prosecution, the database of demands included merchandise of 205 TMC Cauvery h2o to Tamil Nadu each year, extortion to Tamils residing successful Karnataka, adding Tamil arsenic an further authoritative connection successful Karnataka authorities administration, installing a statue for Tiruvalluvar successful Bengaluru and truthful on.
However, 1 of the accused C. Basuvanna, successful his reported confession to the police, pursuant to his apprehension successful October 2001, had contradicted the prosecution lawsuit by claiming that histrion Rajkumar was abducted for ransom since Veerappan was desperately successful request of money, the proceedings tribunal had pointed out.
The proceedings tribunal had gone astir listing retired respective different infirmities successful the prosecution lawsuit earlier deciding to acquit each 9 individuals from the charges of effort to murder, possession of arms and truthful on. Though the constabulary had filed a complaint expanse against 10, 1 of them, C. Mallu, died earlier decision of trial.
Those who got acquitted were S. Maran alias Senguttavan alias Manivannan alias Mullaivalavan alias Kannaiyan, S. Govindaraj alias Megananthan alias Sabha alias Iniyan alias Paranjothi alias Raju, D. Andril alias Elumalai alias Paranjothi, R. Selvam alias Sathya alias Raju, K. Amirthalingam alias Lingam alias Chelzhiyan, Basuvanna, R. Nagaraj, S. Puttusamy and S. Rama alias Kalmandipuram Rama.
