The Madras High Court on Thursday ordered notice to the CB-CID on an appeal moved by N. Banu, the prime accused in the murder case of K. Vijayan alias Vijay Kumar, a close relative of former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran. Banu was one of the adopted daughters of MGR to whom he had willed a portion of his property.
A Division Bench of Justices A. Selvam and P. Kalaiarasan passed the direction on the plea moved by Banu assailing the life sentence awarded to her by the Principal Sessions Court, Chennai.
Eight years after the murder of Vijayan, Principal Session Judge G. Jayachandran on July 13 had convicted — N. Banu, G. Karuna, T. Suresh, R. Karthik, R. Dinesh Kumar, J. Soloman, and M. Karthik — under section 120B (Criminal conspiracy) of IPC. Banu, Karuna, and M. Karthik were also found guilty under section 302 (Murder) of IPC.
According to the prosecution, Vijayan was hit on the head with an iron rod when he was returning home on June 4, 2008. The crime was an outcome of a property dispute Banu had with Vijayan.
G. Karuna, who was a police constable, executed the murder by hiring other five accused at the behest of Banu.