The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday ordered notice to the 13 life convicts in the Melavalavu massacre case, who were recently released by the government on account of good conduct. They were convicted of hacking to death six members of the Scheduled Caste community in 1997.
A Division Bench of Justices S. Vaidyanathan and N. Anand Venkatesh ordered notice to the 13 life convicts and observed that no final orders could be passed without hearing the released convicts. The case was adjourned to November 27 for hearing the State’s response in the case.
Meanwhile, advocate P. Rathinam, who had challenged the government orders on the release of the 13 convicts, amended the prayer sought in his petition and added additional grounds challenging their release. Mr. Rathinam said the authorities released the convicts prematurely without giving an opportunity to the families of the victims to object to their release — a ‘right’ under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. He sought the quashing of the orders on the convicts’ release.
Published - November 26, 2019 12:28 am IST
