Reply sought on plea alleging delay in payment of compensation to mother of man murdered in Tirunelveli

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court recently sought a reply from the State government on a petition filed by a 77-year-old woman over the delay in payment of compensation to her following the murder of her son and his family in Tirunelveli in 2007.

The petitioner, A Lakshmi of Tirunelveli, who belonged to Scheduled Caste, submitted that her son Jeyakumar alias Muthalaali, his wife and two minor children were murdered on April 19, 2007. A Sessions Court in Tirunelveli convicted two persons in connection with the murder and imposed the death penalty on them in December 2012.

However, they were acquitted of the charges by the High Court the next year. Noting that the State machinery had miserably failed to properly investigate the case and get the real culprits of the crime convicted, the court had also directed the State government to pay Rs 5 lakh compensation to the victims' family within three months. But even after a lapse of nearly nine years, the compensation amount has not been paid, Lakshmi alleged.

The Adi Dravidar Welfare Commission is taking a stand that there is no scope to pay compensation in the matter on the ground that the murder case did not come under the purview of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, Lakshmi further claimed. Adding that this amounted to a violation of the High Court's order, she requested the court to direct the government to pay the compensation amount, along with interest, within a specific time.Justice GR Swaminathan, who heard the plea, directed the State government to file a counter affidavit and adjourned the case to September 30.