New judge to hear Madhu lynching case

New judge to hear Madhu lynching case
A Madhu, a 30-year-old tribesman of Chindaki in Attappadi, was reportedly lynched by a mob for allegedly stealing provisions from a store on February 22, 2018 in Attappadi.

Mannarkkad (Palakkad): A new judge will be hearing the sensational Madhu murder case following the transfer of the present judge K S Madhu.

A Madhu, a 30-year-old tribesman of Chindaki in Attappadi, was reportedly lynched by a mob for allegedly stealing provisions from a store on February 22, 2018 in Attappadi. A 3,000-page chargesheet filed in May the same year had arraigned 66 people as accused.

Meanwhile, the prosecution on Friday sought clarity on whether the murder case and another related case registered by the Forest Department should be tried together.

The special public prosecutor C Rajendran made the submission during the trial. The prosecution pointed out that the criminal incident began with the accused trespassing into the forest to detain Madhu.

Currently, both the cases are being considered together. The prosecution said legal issues might arise over the special court for SC/ST cases considering a case registered under the Forest Act. Rajendran sought the court to provide clarity on the issue.

Responding, the court orally observed that it would be prudent to leave the issue to the high court, and a separate application could be moved for the purpose. The court posted the case to May 21 for further hearing.

Meanwhile, the ninth witness in the case, C P Rangan, was not examined since he had nothing more to add to the statement of the first witness, Vellankary. The court had completed the examination of nine people, who were witnesses to the inquest.

The court will continue examining the sub-collector who conducted the inquest and other witnesses.

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