The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has on Tuesday made it clear that if the family members of the remand prisoner P. Muthu Mano, murdered in Palayamkottai Central Prison, did not receive the body and perform the last rites, then the court would direct the authorities to take steps to perform the last rites.
The family members have refused to accept the body even two months after conduct of post mortem. The court had directed the family to accept the body of the deceased and perform the last rites. It had made it clear that it could not pass orders on the relief sought by the family till they received the body.
It was hearing the petition filed by Pavanasam, father of Muthu Mano. The petitioner sought a judicial inquiry into the death of his son inside the Central Prison. Muthu Mano was murdered inside the Central Prison by a few inmates. The case is being probed by the CB-CID.
A Division Bench of Justices T.S. Sivagnanam and S. Ananthi observed that if the petitioner was not going to follow the order of the court, then he had no regard or respect for the court. After the petitioner sought time, the court granted him time to think over and take a decision in this regard. The case was adjourned to June 29.
During the course of the hearing, the petitioner Pavanasam appeared before the court via video conferencing and submitted that people were assembling in front of his house and raising slogans against police atrocities. The State submitted that a direction be given at the earliest as police bandobast were being deployed in the area.
Muthu Mano, a history sheeter was arrested by the police and remanded in judicial custody along with his associates after they had allegedly attempted to murder two persons. He was remanded in Palayamkottai Central Prison, where he was murdered. At least six prison staff were suspended following the incident.
