Madras HC notice to police on Dashwanth's plea against death sentence

A division bench comprising Justice S Vimala and Justice S Ramathilagam, before whom the plea came ordered notice to Mangadu police returnable in four weeks. 

Dashwanth in his appeal has submitted that the judgement of the Chengalpet Mahila Court sessions judge sentencing him to death was contrary to law and was not supported by the evidence on record. 

Listing out as many as 10 aspects as grounds of appeal, Dashwanth said the sessions judge had failed to note that the alleged recovery of material objects has not been proved in accordance with law and erred in placing reliance upon the same. The other aspects raised in the appeal included the failure of the sessions judge to note the several missing links in the evidence on record regarding the chain of events and circumstances.

Also, noting that the last seen alive theory alone cannot be the basis for concluding that the appellant has committed the offence, the plea claimed that the sessions judge grossly erred in finding the accused guilty based only on conjunctions and surmises not amounting to evidence that could establish the guilt of the accused. 

The Mahila court in Chengalpet had on February 19, 2018, convicted the techie to death and to 46 years of rigorous imprisonment on different counts for the rape and murder of Hasini. He had burnt the child’s body after he committed the crime on February 6 last year.