The Hindu : SC admits T.N.'s SLP in 'Navarasu murder case'

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Saturday, Mar 16, 2002

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SC admits T.N.'s SLP in 'Navarasu murder case'

By Our Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI March 15. The Supreme Court today admitted a special leave petition (SLP) filed by the Tamil Nadu Government against a judgment of the Madras High Court acquitting John David, allegedly involved in the gruesome murder of Navarasu, son of former Vice-Chancellor of Madras University, K. Ponnuswamy.

A Bench comprising S.N. Phukan and K.G. Balakrishnan granted special leave to the State Government which sought setting aside of the High Court judgment of October 5 last.

The prosecution case was that Navarasu, a first year MBBS student of Muthaiyah Medical College, Annamalai University, Chidambaram, was staying in the college hostel in 1996. He was found missing from the hostel on November 6, 1996 and on the next day the torso of his mutilated body was found in a parcel in a bus in Tambaram, on the outskirts of Chennai. The prosecution said that John David, a hostelmate of Navarasu, had committed the murder and the trial court convicted John David of murder and sentenced him to undergo life imprisonment.

However, on appeal by John David, the High Court acquitted him of all charges. The present SLP was directed against the High Court judgment.

In its SLP, the State Government submitted that the High court ought to have come to the conclusion that the medical evidence fully supported the prosecution case and all the circumstances unerringly pointed towards the guilt of the accused.

The reasons given by the High Court for rejecting the prosecution version and acquitting the accused were not sound and convincing, the SLP said and sought the quashing of the impugned judgment.

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