The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the State to file a status report on the action taken so far in a 2015 murder case of Arumugaraja in Thoothukudi district. Arumugaraja who belonged to a scheduled caste community had faced threats from caste Hindus prior to his death.
A Division Bench of Justices N. Kirubakaran and B. Pugalendhi sought to know if the trial in the murder case had commenced and how many were arrested. Arumugaraja was hacked to death in Navaladiar, Srivaikuntam. The court adjourned the hearing in the case to October 12.
The court was hearing the appeal preferred by the State against a single judge’s order directing the government to pay ₹ 25-lakh compensation to the family of Arumugaraja for not providing security despite the fact that they had faced threats from caste Hindus. Also the caste Hindus had failed to turn up at the peace committee meetings initiated by the district administration.
In the appeal, the State said that prior to the court’s order, ₹5 lakh was already provided to the family as per the provisions under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 and cases were registered against the accused under the relevant provisions of the Act.