The Madras High Court has set aside the conviction and sentence imposed by a trial court on three women for impersonating as the widows of three Irula (tribesmen who are expert snake catchers) men, who were very much alive, and obtaining distress relief of Rs. 5,000 each given by the State Government for deaths due to snake bites.
Justice G. Jayachandran held that F. Selvi alias Chittak, K. Kannammal alias Panchali and S. Malliga of Madurantakam near here need not undergo the ordeal of imprisonment for a year since a group of revenue officials had misled them by exploiting their poverty and swindled Rs. 15,000 after paying Rs.150 to each of the three women.
The judge also pointed out that of the three, Selvi belonged to the Irula community and her first husband had died due to snake bite. Therefore, she was under the impression that Revenue Inspector Devarajan, Village Administrative Officers Duraikannu and Kalaiarasu and Village Assistant Murugesan were helping her to get aid for her first husband’s death.
Justice Jayachandran however confirmed the conviction and two-year imprisonment imposed on the revenue officials, except Murugesan who had died pending disposal of the appeal, after holding them guilty of having made false entries in the death register, creating fake family cards and misleading their higher officials to sanction the amount.
According to the vigilance and anti-corruption sleuths, the officials had made entries in the death register in 1994 stating that Irula men S. Vanathiyan, P. Munian and M. Gajendran of Mogulvadi village in Madurantakam Taluk had died due to snake bites in 1993. Thereafter, they also created false applications reportedly made by their wives seeking death relief.
The papers were placed before the Kancheepuram Collector, along with fabricated documents, for condoning the delay in making the applications. After the delay was condoned and the amount was sanctioned, the officials made the three women appellants to receive the cheques by impersonating V. Rose Mary, M. Kannammal and G. Malliga who were the wives of the three Irula men.
