Tamil Nadu: 2 men get death penalty for 2007 murder of Dalit family

Two young men have been sentenced to death by a special court here for the brutal murder of four members of a Dalit family, including two children, at a village in the district in 2007.

Judge T S Nandhakumar of the Special Court, formed under the Protection of Civil Rights (SC/ST) Act, also sentenced Katturaja (32) and Vettum Perumal (33) to five terms of life imprisonment to be run consecutively.

In his order yesterday, the Judge slapped a fine of Rs 2.5 lakh on each of them.

According to prosecution, Katturaja suspected that his 29-year old wife Subbulakshmi had an illicit affair with one Jayakumar, a caretaker of a farm house at Meenavankulam near Kalakaadu in the District.

He informed his close relative Perumal about his suspicion. Both of them hatched a plot to murder Jayakumar. On April 19, 2007, the duo went to the farm house and hacked to death Jayakumar after a chase. Later, they hacked Jayakumar's wife who tried to protect her husband.

Though Indhira (11) and Chitra (8), daughters of the couple, bolted themselves inside the house aghast at witnessing the murders, Katturaja and Perumal broke open the door and killed them also.

The sensational quadruple murder sent shock waves in the area then. Police had arrested The special judge said the prosecution had proved the brutal murders, including that of young and innocent girl children and the innocent wife of Jayakumar.

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