An Inspector of Police, Ravichandar — suspended from service — has been convicted by a Judicial Magistrate Court here for failure to alter a 2013 case of suicide to abetment based on a woman’s dying declaration.
The Judicial Magistrate Court I on Thursday found the inspector guilty and sentenced him to one year imprisonment on the charge of a public servant disobeying law (Section 166 and 166 A) and also imposed a fine of ₹5,000 for each count.
According to police, Suganya, 19, a dalit woman of Melur in Madurai, married a caste Hindu youth, Durai, and was living on Maruthupandiayar Madathu Street in Sivakasi. Her neighour, Chithra, often quarrelled with her.
Consequently, Suganya committed self-immolation on November 17, 2013, and was admitted to Government hospital in Sivakasi where she gave a dying declaration to the Judicial Magistrate there. In the declaration, she said Chithra’s harassment drove her to take the extreme step. Subsequently, she died.
The magistrate asked the then investigating officer, Ravichandar of Sivakasi East, to alter the case under Sections 309 (abetment of suicide) and 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman). However, he failed to carry out the magistrate’s order.
The JM Sivakasi, who took up the case suo moto, subsequently transferred it to JM Sattur.
Police said the inspector, who was placed under suspension, was not allowed to retire from service.