Five women family members of those hacked to death in Melavalavu in 1997 moved the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday challenging the release of the 13 convicts in the case on account of good conduct.
The women – M. Manimegala, R. Vasanthi, K. Kaali, M. Pachaiyammal and M. Kattachi – challenged the government’s decision to release the 13 life convicts in the case. They said that the government order was arbitrary, irrational and discriminatory.
Even now, they said the Scheduled Caste people lived in fear of the dominant community. The premature release of the life convicts would only escalate the situation and increase the fear of the SC people, they said.
Justice A.D. Jagadish Chandira directed tagging of the petition along with the main petition for hearing. Earlier, this week, the court had set aside an interim order that had directed the 13 convicts in the case to stay in Vellore.
The court had passed the order upset over the fact that party-in-person advocate P. Rathinam had failed to appear for the hearing. The court had adjourned the main petition for hearing till March 16.
