A petition has been filed with the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court against the acquittal of the accused in the rape and murder of a Dindigul teen. The Dindigul Mahila Court on September 29 acquitted a 19-year-old man named Kirubanandam in the case of the sexual assault and murder of a 13-year-old girl from Vedasandur in Dindigul district in April 2019.
Following demands from various political parties in Tamil Nadu, the state government has now filed an appeal with the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court. State public prosecutor Natarajan filed the petition with the bench comprising Justices Kalyanasundaram and Krishnavalli. The case will come up for hearing soon.
The Mahila court, in its order issued on September 29, stated that the prosecution failed to prove the charges levelled against the accused beyond reasonable doubt. The accused Kirubanandam was acquitted of all charges. The order came under much criticism, with many including political parties rallying against the judgement. Salon owners in Dindigul and All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) staged protests following the acquittal alleging justice was denied.
The case related to the 13-year-old girl who was found dead on April 16, 2019 in Kollapatti village, Vedasandur Taluk in Dindigul. A case of unnatural death by electrocution was registered at first. It was later altered to include rape and murder charges following suspiscious injuries on her body found during post mortem. Ten days later, on April 26, the police arrested 18-year-old Kirubanandam.
Judge S Purushothaman who heard the case said that the investigation and the presentation of evidence had flaws and ordered the acquittal of the accused.