Special court acquits DMK ex-MLA from murder charge
The prosecution has not proved the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt and most of the prosecution witnesses turned hostile for the reasons best known to them, wrote the special court.
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CHENNAI: Holding that most of the prosecution witnesses turned hostile, a special court in Chennai acquitted former member of the legislative assembly (MLA) of DMK B Ranganathan with 11 other accused from a murder case over land grabbing allegations.
The special court for trial of criminal cases related to MPs/MLAs, Chennai wrote that the prosecution has failed to prove any of the charges leveled against the accused persons when actual murder itself is not connected with any of the accused persons wrote the special court while acquitting all the twelve accused including B Ranganathan from all the charges.
The prosecution has not proved the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt and most of the prosecution witnesses turned hostile for the reasons best known to them, wrote the special court.
"There is nothing to show that the accused have been associated with the other accused who alleged to have committed the murder of deceased Bhuvaneswaran either by direct or sufficient evidence. A strong suspicion cannot take place a proof without any substantive piece of material", read the judgment.
The case of the prosecution is that on January 10, 2012, the deceased Bhuvaneswaran was intercepted at Kolathur by five persons when he was riding in a motorcycle with his daughter. The accused stabbed the deceased and cut all over his body with deadly weapons including machete. Due to the severe injury, the deceased succumbed to death.
Based on the complaint lodged by Siva, father of the deceased, the Kolathur police registered a case under various sections including 120 (B) and 302 of IPC.
The complainant Siva alleged that his son Bhuvaneswaran was murdered by henchmen of B Ranganathan due to a land dispute at Morai Village, Avadi in Chennai.
It was also alleged that Ranganathan tried to grab land owned by the deceased in Morai. However, the police filed a final report in 2012 excluding Ranganathan as an accused.
Aggrieved by the final report, the complainant moved MHC to transfer the case to CBI.
The case was transferred to the CBI.
After completing the investigation, the CBI filed a final report in 2018 including Ranganathan as an accused.