New Delhi: The Supreme Court today posted to
July 27 final disposal of the appeal filed by the three All
India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) activists
sentenced to death in the Dharmapuri bus burning case in which
three college girls were burnt alive.
A bench of Justices G S Singhvi and B S Chauhan, while
posting the matter for final disposal, asked the prosecution
and the three convicts Nedunchezhian, Ravindran and C.
Muniappan to file their written submissions on the issue.
The apex court had in 2008 stayed the death sentence
pending the appeal.
Three girl students of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural
University (TNAU) - Kokilavani, Gayathri and Hemalatha ? were
burnt alive on February 2, 2000, when their college bus was
set ablaze by the convicts are Elakiyampatti in Dharmapuri
district following the conviction of AIADMK supremo
Jayalalithaa in a graft case.
Eighteen other students were injured in the attack.
On February 16, 2007, Additional Sessions Court in Salem
had convicted 28 of the 31 accused and awarded death sentence
to Nedunchezhian, Ravindran and C Muniappan. While acquitting
two, the court awarded sentences ranging from two months to
two years to 25 others.
There were 31 accused in the case, out of which, one died
during the trial and two were acquitted.
The Madras High Court subsequently upheld the death
sentence and termed the killings as ghastly, diabolical and
gruesome.
Aggrieved by the judgement the trio had appealed in the
apex court.
PTI
