A POCSO court here on Monday awarded double death penalty to a man for sexually assaulting and murdering a Class XII girl student in this district.
M Preetha, Second Additional District Judge, delivered the sentence within 77 days of the incident and after forensic evidence confirmed the involvement of the suspect Dharma Muneeswaran, 38, of Rajabandhi Nagar in Tuticorin.
The victim, a student from Vedanatham village in Velathikulam, was reported missing on March 10, and her body was found the next day in the bushes near her house. Police said she went behind a bush to answer nature’s call.
The breakthrough in the case for police came through a windmill camera that captured images of a suspicious two-wheeler near the crime scene.
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“We have been able to get a fair verdict in a short period of time. Everyone has worked on this case and wanted to ensure that such incidents do not happen to anyone else,” said Tuticorin, the Mahila Court’s special public prosecutor.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, who earlier in the day reviewed the law and order situation in the state, said 71 witnesses had been examined in the case. A speedy trial was held, and the accused, Dharma Muneswaran, was sentenced to the double death penalty for sexual assault and murder.
“Justice was done very quickly within three months of this heinous incident,” Vijay said on ‘X’, praising the verdict which he said was delivered when the state government was making efforts to ensure the safety of women and children.
There was political anger after the girl’s death. The police filed the charge sheet within 20 days of the crime and the suspect was produced before the Court of First Instance on April 5.
