Chennai:
Expressing its displeasure over the police’s inability to arrest the accused involved in the attack of two Dalit settlements in Marakkanam even two years after the chargesheet was filed, the first bench of the Madras High Court directed officials to arrest the 32 accused persons.
It also asked the Tindivanam judicial magistrate to file a status report in this regard before the court by December 2.
The Dalit settlements, Kattayan Theru and Kazhikuppam in Marakannam, came under attack from a group of PMK cadre who were en route to attend a party meeting on April 25, 2013.
After hearing a petition filed by an advocate D Ashok Kumar, the first bench comprising of Justice S K Kaul and R Mahadevan said that while the chargesheet was filed on June 30,2014, the case is still at the initial stage, as the non-bailable warrants have not been executed against 32 persons.
“It is unacceptable that now it is being pleaded that police is unable to arrest the accused. We call upon the police to take appropriate steps to arrest the accused and the Judicial Magistrate Tindivanam who has taken the case on file to send a status report to this Court,” the judges said.
The court said the relief is grossly inadequate and not in compliance with the provisions of the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules 1995, and added that some of the victims of the violence would have lost more than others.
“We are thus of the view that in so far as the larger claims are concerned, the matter be looked into if those claimants are unable to produce the documents to substantiate higher amount of loss,” the bench said.
The next hearing is slated for December 2.
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