The Madras High Court Bench here on Friday confirmed life sentences imposed on two individuals for having murdered a person as his son had crushed a chick belonging to one of the convicts to death under the wheels of a bicycle.
A Division Bench of Justice A. Selvam and Justice V.S. Ravi confirmed the conviction and life sentence imposed by a lower court on Sivansakthi alias Umayan and Kannuchamy of Sivaganga district after holding that the prosecution had clearly proved the motive behind the murder. The Bench dismissed a joint criminal appeal filed by the convicts challenging their conviction.
The incident had occurred in Manamadurai police station limits in Sivaganga district on March 27, 2008.
The appellants were accused of having hacked Karuppiah of their village to death.
After trial, the Principal District and Sessions Court had convicted the duo under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced them to undergo imprisonment for life.
According to the prosecution, four days before the murder, Karuppiah’s son K. Palani had crushed to death a chick belonging to Sivansakthi under his bicycle wheels.
The incident led to a quarrel between them and development of animosity between them as they hurled invectives against each other.
Upset over having been insulted, the two convicts hatched a plan to do away with Karuppiah. They waylaid him at about 10.30 p.m. on the day of occurrence and assaulted him with a cudgel with the clear intention of murdering him. The deceased succumbed to the injuries.
Additional Public Prosecutor C. Ramesh pointed out that the sons of the deceased had adduced clear-cut evidence before the trial court to prove the guilt of the convicts.
