Udumalpet honour killing: Madras HC acquits woman's father

Modifying the death sentence of 5 accused in the 2016 Tamil Nadu honour killing case to life imprisonment, Madras High Court on Monday also acquitted the woman's father. Shankar, a Dalit who fell in love with and married non-Dalit Kausalya, was killed in broad daylight evoking public outrage.

Chennai: The Madras High Court on Monday acquitted the prime accused and modified the death sentence awarded to five others to life imprisonment in 2016 honour killing of a 22-year-old man in full public view in Tirupur district in Tamil Nadu.

Passing orders on appeals, a division bench of Justice M Sathyanarayanan and M Nirmal Kumar acquitted B Chinnaswamy, father of Kausalya, whose husband Shankar was hacked to death in front of her in Udumalpet town and relieved him from all charges including that of criminal conspiracy.

The bench sentenced the five other accused to life imprisonment for a minimum of 25 years without any right to remission.

Chinnaswamy and the others had been sentenced to death by a lower court in connection with the horrific daylight killing which was caught on camera and evoked public outrage.

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The High Court also confirmed the acquittal of Kausalya's mother and two others.

The court also ordered the release of all those acquitted who are presently under incarceration if their custody is not required in connection with any other case.

Will not rest until parents are punished: Kausalya

Terming as 'injustice' the acquittal of her father, Kausalya said she would not rest till her parents are punished. "Verdict is injustice and not justice to the killing of Shankar. It is shocking and disappointing," she said.

"There was a lot of difference in the approach with me when the case was going on in Tirupur Court and High Court," she alleged.

"However, I have not lost confidence in the Judiciary and my legal battle will continue," she said and expressed hope that the State government will move to Supreme Court and she would not hesitate to join the legal battle.

Asserting that she wanted her parents punished, she said she would fight till Shankar got justice.

The brutal murder

Shankar, a Dalit and native of Kumaralingam near Udumalpet, fell in love with non-Dalit Kausalya, while they were studying in a private engineering college in Pollachi. After multiple instances of opposition from her parents, Kausalya and Shankar got married at a temple in the town of Palani in July 2015. She began to live with Shankar's home in Udumalpet.

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On 13 March 2016, a grainy CCTV footage emerged from a shop in Udumalpet, a small town in Tiruppur district. 21-year-old Shankar and 19-year-old Kausalya, who were out to buy clothes, were attacked by men on motorbikes. Shankar was declared dead on arrival at the Coimbatore Government Hospital. Kausalya also suffered injuries in the attack.

After the brutal murder of Shankar, Kausalya turned into an anti-caste crusader, and started the Shankar Social Justice Trust and had been living with Shankar's family. She testified against her father at court.

District court had sentenced six to death

On December 12, 2017 the Tirupur district sessions court sentenced six people, including Chinnaswamy to death for the murder.

Of the 11 accused, six were sentenced to death. Three others, including her mother, maternal uncle and a 16-year old relative were acquitted of all charges while two others got lesser sentences.

Challenging the death sentence awarded to them, Kausalya's father Chinnasamy and the other moved the appeal.

Similarly, the investigation officer also moved an appeal against the acquittal of Kausalya's mother and two others by the trial court.

(With inputs from PTI)