HC suspends 7yr RI to accused in Dharmapuri case

Chennai, Mar 13: Madras High Court today suspended a lower court sentence awarding seven-year rigorous imprisonment to 25 accused in the sensational Dharmapuri bus burning case in which three girl students of Coimbatore Agriculture Universtiy were burnt alive.

A Division Bench, comprising Mr Justice R Balasubramaniam and Ms Justice Prabha Sridevan, suspended the sentence awarded to AIADMK men D K Rajendran, D K Murugesan and 23 others by the First Additional Sessions Judge, Salem.

The Bench also granted them bail on the condition that they should stay in Chennai and report daily to the Crime Branch CID.

The First Additional Sessions Judge, Salem, had on February 16 awarded death sentence to three prime accused and seven-year RI to 25 others.

Among the three who were awarded capital punishment, one had already filed an appeal against the sentence, while the other two were expected to file their appeals today.

It may be recalled that a Special Court in Chennai awarded one-year RI to AIADMK General Secretary and former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in the Pleasant Stay Hotel case in February 2000.

Following this, violence broke out throught out Tamil Nadu and in one such incident, a college bus was set fire in Dharmapuri in which the girls were burnt alive.

UNI