Chennai: Hailing the Supreme Court's
verdict that upheld the death sentence awarded to three AIADMK
workers in connection with the 2000 Dharmapuri bus burning
case, families of the victims Monday said the ruling would act
as a deterrent to violence against innocent people.
"My daughter may not come back today. But the verdict,
though delayed, will act as a deterrent against persons trying
to resort to such a crime in the future," K Kasiammal, mother
of Hemalatha, one of the three students charred to death in
the incident, said here.
She said any mercy petitions by the accused should not
be entertained "considering the gravity" of the crime.
"I am happy that the right punishment has been given
to the guilty. This is a lesson to others. It would prevent
recurrence of such violence," Kumaraswamy, father of another
victim Kokilavani, said at Paramathivelur in Namakkal
district.
Stating that attempts were made to derail the case, he
thanked all those who deposed as prosecution witnesses
resulting in the conviction.
Senior lawyer R Srinivasan, who was the special
government pleader in the trial court in Salem, said justice
had been served and the apex court judgement would act as a
deterrent against violence aimed at innocent people.
"It is due punishment for killing innocent students,"
he said.
Kokilavani, Hemalatha and Gayathri, students of the
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, were burnt alive when a
mob set their college bus on fire at Ilakkiampatti near
Dharmapuri during protests against the conviction of AIADMK
leader and former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in Kodaikanal
Pleasant Stay Hotel corruption case.
A Salem court had awarded death penalty to Nedu alias
Nedunchezhian, Madhu alias Ravindran and C Muniappan, which
was upheld by the Madras High Court in 2007. Twenty-five
others were awarded terms ranging from two months to two years
terms ranging from two months to two years.
Earlier in the day, a Supreme Court bench comprising
Justices G S Singhvi and B S Chauhan confirmed the death
sentence awarded by the Madras High Court in 2007.
PTI
First Published: Monday, August 30, 2010, 14:23