A lookout notice has been issued to trace the whereabouts of John David, convicted in the Navarasu murder case, according to Superintendent of Police Ashwin Kotnis.
Mr. Kotnis told the presspersons here on Thursday that following the Supreme Court upholding the Cuddalore Sessions Court's verdict of double life sentence awarded to John David in the case, the Annamalai Nagar Police (under whose jurisdiction the college falls) had been directed to pursue the matter.
The SP said special teams had been formed to conduct enquiry at places such as Karur (said to be John David's native place), Tiruchi and Chennai. He underscored the point that the legal process would have to be followed in which the Supreme Court would have to give the direction to the Madras High Court and the latter in turn would have to instruct the trial court (Cuddalore Sessions Court) to issue the arrest warrant.
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Mr. Kotnis said the report of John David having become a priest in Australia had to be verified, adding that vigil had been mounted at airports.
Navarasu, son of former Vice-Chancellor of Madras University K.Ponnuswamy, and a fresher at the Rajah Muthiah Medical College of Annamalai University, Chidambaram, was reported missing from the college hostel from November 6, 1996.
The prosecution version had it that after Navarasu's mutilated torso was found in Chennai facts emerged that the victim's hostel mate John David had committed the gruesome murder, pursuant to a ragging incident.
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Though the trial court had sentenced John David to undergo two life sentences consecutively, the Madras High Court acquitted him of the charges. A special leave petition was filed in the Supreme Court contesting the High Court judgment.
The Supreme Court Bench set aside the High Court verdict and restored the trial court judgment with a change that the two life sentences should run concurrently.