Madhu lynching case: prosecution seeks video recording of trial

One more witness turns hostile; trial of Madhu’s family on Monday

Madhu hours before he died on February 22, 2018. A file photo

The Special Court for SC/ST (PoA) Act Cases, Mannarkkad, trying the Madhu lynching case, has summoned the government ophthalmologist who examined the vision of Sunil Kumar, one of the witnesses who turned hostile.

The court will hear the eye specialist of the Government District Hospital, Palakkad, on Saturday. The ophthalmologist had disputed 38-year-old Sunil Kumar’s claim that he had blurred vision, and certified that his vision was as clear as that of a 25-year-old man.

Special Public Prosecutor Rajesh M. Menon on Friday requested the court to record the remaining part of the trial both in audio and video especially in the light of witnesses turning hostile in the case. The court will take a decision after hearing the counsels for the accused on Monday.

One more witness turned hostile during the trial on Friday. Abdul Latheef, witness number 36, retracted his original statement and told the court that he had no idea about the incident. So far, 21 witnesses have turned hostile in the case.

Mr. Latheef denied his presence in the video footages shown by the prosecution. He said the person shown by the prosecution as him in the video was someone else.

Forensic tests

Mr. Menon sought the permission of the court to send Mr. Latheef’s photographs, photo IDs, including passport and other visuals, for forensic examination. “Perjury cannot be condoned at any cost. We will have him booked for giving false evidence before the court,” said Mr. Menon.

The trial of Madhu’s mother Malli, sister Chandrika, and sister’s husband Murukan will take place on Monday. The counsel for the accused demanded that as they were the family members of Madhu, their trial should be held together.

It was on February 22, 2018, that Madhu, 27, from the Kadukumanna tribal hamlet near Mukkali in Attappady was allegedly lynched by a group of local men on charges of alleged thefts. After capturing Madhu and tying him up, the local people handed him over to the police; but he died on the way to hospital. The cause of the death was found to be internal injuries that he sustained from the beating.

There are 16 accused and 122 witnesses in the case. The case was inordinately delayed as none was willing to take up the prosecutor’s role. Following the Kerala High Court’s intervention, the Special Court for SC/ST (PoA) Act, Mannarkkad, began the trial on June 8, 2022. But the trial saw a saga of witnesses turning hostile one by one.