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L Muruganatham, a disability rights activist and lawyer in the Madras High Court, was hacked to death in Tiruppur on Monday, July 28, after what appears to be a property dispute involving his uncle L Dhandapani. He and five others surrendered to the Dharapuram police on July 29.
It was only two weeks ago that Muruganatham had secured a landmark order from the Supreme Court regarding the rights of prisoners with disabilities.
The Muruganatham doctrine, as the SC directions of July 15 are called, includes 15 directions for prison authorities, to be mandatorily observed when admitting a prisoner with disability. "The disabilities of incarcerated individuals must not become a basis for further deprivation or suffering; rather, the prison system must evolve to affirm their rights and provide the care necessary for rehabilitation," the court stated.
Muruganatham was diagnosed with Becker Muscular Dystrophy (80% disability), autism, and associated neuro-developmental disorders. His legal battle started in February 2020, when he was falsely arrested and imprisoned in a property dispute. The arrest was in connection with a false complaint lodged against him and his aged mother by a henchman of his paternal uncle Dhandapani.
Dhandapani had a long standing property dispute with Muruganatham’s father. It is alleged that Muruganatham’s father Lingaswami was also murdered in connection with the same dispute.
Muruganatham alleged that when he was jailed at the Central Prison, Coimbatore in 2020, the authorities "failed to provide proper food, medical treatment, and care as required under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. The prison lacked infrastructure and facilities necessary for prisoners with disabilities, and the officials were allegedly insensitive and ill-informed regarding the rights of persons with disabilities."
Against the denial of rights in jail, Muruganatham first approached the State Human Rights Commission, and then the Madras High Court. In both instances, he was dissatisfied with the fact that no action was taken against prison authorities. That is why he decided to approach the Supreme Court.
Circumstances of the murder
A senior lawyer in Dharapuram, who is familiar with the dispute, said that the issue had come to a head first when Muruganatham had filed a case against unauthorised construction in the Thenmalar Matriculation Higher Secondary School owned by Dhandapani. The school stands adjacent to Muruganatham’s property. The unauthorised fourth floor was demolished following this case.
“There was another case filed by Muruganatham pointing out that the school did not comply with certain regulations. For the purpose of emergency evacuation, a school is mandated to have 12 feet of space in front of it, in case of fires and such. But the school did not have that. The land adjacent to the school measuring around 2.20 acres belonged to Muruganatham. When the case happened, Dhandapani encroached into Murugaatham’s land to meet these requirements,” the senior lawyer said.
He added that Muruganatham had asked for a re-measurement of the plot and that on the day of the murder, he received a call from the surveyor asking him to come to the property.
Muruganatham arrived at the spot around 2 pm. “When he reached the spot, the surveyor was not present. Instead Dhandapani and five goons were waiting for him,” he said. The lawyer also alleged that the goons had been sheltered in the school for almost a week prior to the murder. He also alleged that the surveillance cameras in the school had been taken down prior to the crime.