14 defendants were found guilty on Tuesday by a court in Kerala’s Palakkad of the lynching death of Madhu, an Attappady tribal boy, in 2018.
The fourth and eleventh defendants in the case were exonerated by the Mannarkad Special SC/ST (Prevention Act) Court. There were 16 suspects in the murder of Madhu. According to Section 304 (2) of the Indian Criminal Code (IPC) and the SC/ST Act, the 14 accused people were found guilty. On Wednesday, the severity of the sentence will be announced.
Madhu’s mother and sister have said that they will appeal the court’s decision to acquit two persons.
“All the 16 accused should be punished. We will appeal to the court”, the family said. They also added that they have been receiving threats.
Madhu was beaten to death by a mob at Attappady in Palakkad district on 22 February, 2018. He was allegedly tied up and beaten by a mob. He was caught by the mob from a nearby forest and he was accused of serial theft.
He was also led down the street while having his hands restrained before being turned over to the police. He was taken to a neighbouring hospital by the police, but soon after, the doctors proclaimed him dead. Madhu’s relatives claimed that he had mental health issues.
A 3,000-page charge sheet about the case was provided to the court by the police. There were 127 witnesses in the case, and 24 of them altered their testimonies. By the 10th of March, the trial was over.
