Thiruvananthapuram: In a landmark judgment in the 2018 Attappady Madhu lynching case that had shocked the nation, the Kerala High Court on Monday enhanced the punishment of 12 convicted men to life imprisonment for the brutal mob lynching of tribal youth Madhu.
A Division Bench comprising Justices V. Raja Vijayaraghavan and K. V. Jayakumar enhanced the seven-year prison term earlier imposed by the Mannarkkad Special SC/ST Court to life imprisonment.
The Bench also directed that Rs 30 lakh be paid as compensation to Madhu’s mother, Malli, and ordered that the compensation awarded earlier by the sessions court be disbursed within three months if it has not already been paid.
Madhu, a 27-year-old tribal youth from the Chindakki tribal settlement in Attappady, Palakkad, was lynched on February 22, 2018, after being accused of stealing rice and grocery items from a nearby shop.
Suffering from mental health issues and living in a cave inside the forest, Madhu was dragged out by a mob, tied up, stripped nearly naked and brutally assaulted in public before being handed over to the Agali police. He died while being taken to the police station.
The High Court upheld the conviction of 12 accused under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, including offences under Sections 304 and 326 of the IPC.
Those sentenced to life imprisonment are Marakkar (A2), Shamsudheen (A3), Radhakrishnan (A5), Aboobacker (A6), Sidhique (A7), Ubaid (A8), Najeeb (A9), Jaijumon (A10), Sajeev (A12), Satheesh (A13), Hareesh (A14) and Biju (A15). Each of them was also ordered to pay a fine of Rs 2 lakh.
The Bench, however, acquitted first accused Hussain, citing lack of sufficient evidence, and upheld the acquittal of Anish (A4) and Abdul Karim (A11).
The sentence of Muneer (A16), who was earlier jailed for three months, was enhanced to one year after the court found offences under Sections 3(2)(v) and 3(2)(va) of the SC/ST Act applicable against him.
The case had witnessed repeated attempts to derail the trial, with 24 of the 103 prosecution witnesses turning hostile. However, digital evidence, including photographs and videos recorded and circulated by the accused themselves, played a crucial role in securing the convictions.
Madhu’s family, which fought a prolonged legal battle amid pressure and threats, welcomed the verdict and said justice had finally prevailed. However, they are planning to challenge the acquittal of the first accused.
With IANS inputs