Gokulraj murder: Prime witness Swathi turns hostile, Madras HC orders contempt proceedings

In a rare instance, Madras High Court has initiated suo motu criminal contempt proceedings against Swathi, the star witness turning hostile in the June 2015 gruesome honour killing case of Dalit youth, V Gokulraj, reports ETV Bharat M C Rajan.

Madurai:It was a murder most foul which rattled the Dravidian heartland. Now, the prime witness, Swathi, who was in a relationship with the deceased, Gokulraj, is facing the wrath of the High Court for turning hostile during the trial and before a Division Bench. Those convicted, challenging the trial court order, have landed her in trouble. Now, she faces criminal contempt for lying on oath.

Students of an engineering college, Swathi and Gokulraj, were together at the famed Arthanareeswarar temple in Tiruchengode in Namakkal district when he was abducted by a gang in a car, which also snatched away her mobile handset on June 23, 2015. The next day, his torso was found on the railway track at Pallipalayam making it appear as a case of suicide.

The gang also forced him to make a statement on video that he was committing suicide due to failure of love with a dominant caste girl. For a fair trial, the case was transferred from Namakkal to Madurai in 2019. Seven years after the murder, the special court in March 2022, convicted and sentenced 10 persons to life imprisonment.

The prime accused, Yuvaraj, founder of the Maaveeran Theeran Chinnamalai Gounder Peravai, was sentenced to three life terms. Prior to his arrest, he had given an interview to a TV channel, justifying the murder which led to his arrest and conviction.

The victim's mother, Chitra too approached the court to enhance the punishment to the convicts and against the acquittal of others in the case. Swathi, who had initially cooperated with the prosecution and recorded her statement before the magistrate, turned hostile during the trial.

But, while hearing the appeal, Justices MS Ramesh and Anand Venkatesh, of the Madurai Bench of the High Court, smelt something foul and took the extraordinary step of recalling the star witness, Swathi, to record her deposition. And on Friday last, she appeared before the court but denied any knowledge about the murder.

Her response to many probing questions from the judges was evasive. Swathi said, Gokulraj was a classmate and used to interact with him like others but does not know about his mother or family background.

“No”, was her answer when asked whether she had met Gokulrajon that fateful day. When the CCTV footage of her and Gokulraj entering and exiting the temple was shown on LED TV, she recognised Gokulraj but denied that she was the girl along with him. She broke down in tears when close-up visuals were shown.

At today's deposition, the judges turned furious and asked, “Don't you know yourself? Do you think it is a plaything? If you cannot identify yourself, what do you think of this court? If you have any pressure or apprehension, you can tell us. This court will not pass it on like the trial court. How long can the truth be hidden?”

Warning her of the consequences of lying on oath, the Bench posted the matter to today (November 30). Later, Swathi, an expecting mother, fainted and was given treatment at the hospital in the court complex.

After today's deposition, the judges observed that Swathi had made the Court a laughing stock. “Gokulraj was murdered because he met Swathi. She is refusing to tell the truth. At least she could have given the reason for changing her statement. She was given an opportunity.

But, knowing fully well the consequences, she had lied. She had committed contempt and prima facie there is evidence that she had lied. Contempt proceedings are initiated,” the bench said in its order and adjourned the matter to two weeks.

A survey by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), after the murder of Gokulraj, had revealed that Tamil Nadu ranked five in atrocities committed against the SCs and recommended that the police needed to be proactive in curbing them.