Madras High Court Confirms Acquittal in Landmark Rajkumar Kidnapping Case
The Madras High Court delivered a significant verdict on Wednesday, upholding the acquittal of nine associates of the notorious forest brigand Veerappan. These individuals had been named as suspects in the high-profile abduction of legendary Kannada actor Rajkumar back in the year 2000.
Details of the Case and the Accused
In total, fourteen people, including Veerappan himself, were originally cited as accused in this historic case. On September 25, 2018, a sessions court in Gobichettipalayam acquitted the nine surviving accused—Govindaraj, Andril, Pasuvanna, Puttusamy, Kalmandiraman, Maran, Selvam, Amirthalingam, and Nagaraj—of all charges leveled against them.
Four other accused—Veerappan, Sethukuli Govindan, Chandra Gowda, and Sethumani—were killed in a 2004 encounter with the Special Task Force (STF). One individual, Ramesh, remains untraceable to this day.
The 2000 Abduction and Its Aftermath
The incident that sparked this lengthy legal battle occurred on July 30, 2000. Rajkumar was abducted by Veerappan and his gang from his farmhouse at Thoddakanjanur near Thalavadi in Erode district. The beloved actor endured 108 days in captivity before being released by the brigand.
The subsequent trial was an epic judicial process, spanning an incredible 18 years and presided over by as many as ten different judges. It finally concluded in September 2018 with the trial court's acquittal of the nine accused.
Grounds for the Original Acquittal
The trial court's decision to acquit was based on several critical factors. The prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt the alleged nexus between the Veerappan gang and the accused individuals. Furthermore, the judge noted that none of Rajkumar's blood relatives had lodged any formal complaints regarding the abduction.
Intriguingly, the de facto complainant in the case was the then Thottakajanur village administrative officer. Neither Rajkumar nor his wife, Parvathammal, participated in the identification parade or deposed in court as witnesses, which significantly impacted the prosecution's case.
High Court's Final Ruling
Dissatisfied with the acquittal, the CB-CID moved the Madras High Court on appeal in 2019. After five years of deliberation, a division bench comprising Justice P Velmurugan and Justice M Jothiraman dismissed the appeal on Wednesday. The bench confirmed the order of the trial court, bringing a definitive close to this decades-long legal saga.
This ruling underscores the challenges in prosecuting cases with complex evidentiary requirements and the high standard of proof needed for criminal convictions in the Indian judicial system.
