Saloons across Tamil Nadu remain closed to protest acquittal of 19-year-old in rape and murder case

MADURAI: Expressing shock over the acquittal of a 19-year-old man in a rape and murder case against him in Dindigul district, saloon owners closed their shops across the state on Friday. They sought justice for the minor girl as she belonged to their community.
On April 16, 2019, the 12-year-old girl from a village under the jurisdiction of Vadamadurai police station was found dead in her house.
Her mother -- an MGNREGS worker -- on returning home that evening found the girl dead with one end of a live wire in her mouth.
Thought it was initially suspected to be a case of accidental electrocution, police registered a case under sections 174 as unnatural death of the Code of Criminal Procedures.
The body was sent to Dindigul government hospital for autopsy as there were suspicious injuries on her body.
The report stated that the electrocution was staged. It noted that the girl was raped and murdered, following which the case was altered to sections 302 (punishment for murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) of the Indian Penal Code and 5(m) (penetrative sexual assault on a child) read with 6 (punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.
The police arrested a 17-year-old boy of the locality for allegedly committing the crime and lodged him in a home for children in conflict with the law.
The case was tried at a Fast Track Mahila Court in Dindigul district in which 35 witnesses were examined.
In his verdict on Tuesday, sessions judge S Purushothaman acquitted the accused citing failure by the prosecution to prove charges against the accused beyond reasonable doubts.
While a couple of key witnesses had turned hostile, the judge also categorically pointed out flaws in the investigation and evidences presented by the prosecution that had resulted in the acquittal.
The judge observed that this is despite autopsy report proving that the girl had been raped and murdered.
Agitated over the verdict AIDWA members staged a protest at the court after hearing the verdict.
On Friday, Dindigul district secretary of the women’s body Rani said that advocates have come forward to conduct the case free of cost when they go for an appeal in the Madurai Bench of the Madras high court.
“We want the police to properly present the case before the court and ensure that the girl gets justice,” she said.
Representatives of the community handed over petitions to the Dindigul collector and superintendent of police to fight for the girl’s cause and get the guilty punished.
Karur MP Jothimani Sennimalai on Friday submitted a representation to the Dindigul collectors asking the government to go for an appeal against the verdict in the High Court.
In this case she held the police responsible for the acquittal. She accused the Tamil Nadu government of showing slackness in handling such heinous crimes and recalled instances such as the Pollachi rape case where the victims are yet to get justice.
Expressing shock over the acquittal, in Dindigul district, with the hashtag #JusticeForKalaivani, PMK founder Ramadoss urged the government through Twitter to go for an appeal against the verdict and ensure for the victim, her bereaved family and their community that staged protests on Friday.