Madras High Court sets aside death and life term orders, acquits all accused in 2013 murder of neurosurgeon SD Subbiah

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Friday acquitted all the nine accused in the murder of neurosurgeon SD Subbiah in 2013. It set aside all death sentence for seven of the accused and life terms for the two others imposed by a sessions court.

A division bench of Justice MS Ramesh and Justice Sunder Mohan heard the referral of the sessions court and the appeals preferred by the nine accused challenging their convictions.

After hearing all the submissions, the bench allowed all the appeals preferred by the accused and set aside the convictions imposed by the principal sessions court in Chennai.

In September 2013, a popular neurosurgeon Subbiah was hacked to death by a gang as he was coming out of a hospital in Raja Annamalai Puram in the city.

Investigation conducted by the city police revealed that Subbiah had been murdered over a land dispute with a relative at Anju Gramam in Kanniyakumari district.

The sessions judge court in August 2021 after hearing the accused and taking cognizance of the charges awarded death penalty to seven accused including Ponnusamy, Basil, Boris, William, James Sathishkumar, Murugan, and Selvaprakash.

Further, the judge also imposed life sentences on Mary Pudhpam and Yesurajan with a fine of Rs 50,000 each.

The sessions court also referred the convictions to the Madras High Court for confirming the death penalty and life sentences. Subsequently, all the accused moved a number of appeals seeking to acquit them from the murder charges.