The district court complex was crowded with people from 10 a.m. itself even though the trial court judge in the Shankar murder case was supposed to deliver the verdict only at around 11.30 a.m.
The proceedings began close to noon as one of the accused had to be brought from the Tiruchi prison. Of the remaining 10, one was out on bail and the others were brought from the Coimbatore Central Prison.
Some of the accused sported vibhuti on their forehead and did not show much emotions on their face. Some of them covered the face with a handkerchief.
The judge Alamelu Natarajan, soon after her opening remarks, asked the accused whether they had anything to say. When they said they were innocent, she intervened saying that already the trial was over and they could speak only on the conviction.
The accused then pleaded for “minimum punishment”. Even after the judge announced the verdict,the convicts wore the same look.
Soon after the verdict, the court campus saw two different violent scenes. In one case, some youth were beaten up after they questioned Leftists leaders who spoke to media persons in support of the court order. In the other case, some Dalit activists staged a protest when a Forward Bloc member made some “communally sensitive” remarks. .
