Kerala - Kozhikode

Verdict date to be fixed on January 14

Kozhikode:

The Special District Sessions Court (Marad cases) will on January 14 fix the date for pronouncing the verdict on sentencing the convicted accused in the Marad massacre case.

Babu Mathew P. Joseph, judge, special court, in his order on Friday said that the court would fix “the date for pronouncing the judgment on January 14.”

Last month the court held 63 persons guilty and acquitted 76 in the case of murdering nine fishermen and injuring several others on the Marad beach on May 2, 2003. Sixty-two were found guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including Section 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder).

One of the convicts, Latheef Assainar, accused no. 139, who was the manager of the Juma Masjid at Marad, was found guilty under Section 7 and 9 of the Religious Institutions (Prevention of Misuse Act). He had allowed the mosque and its premises to store weapons and allowed the entry of the other accused in the case. Earlier, the court had questioned the convicts on the sentence and collected their statements and heard the arguments from the prosecution and defence sides.

On Friday all the 63 convicted accused were produced in the court amid tight security. Both the prosecution and defence sides submitted that they had nothing more to submit.

The judge said in his order that “work is progressing fast.” He also ordered to take all the accused back to jail and produce them on January 14.

Last week the judge had fixed January 9 “for considering the fixation of the date for pronouncing the judgment and for further clarification if any.” Then the judge had also noted that “a few more days are necessary” for taking copies of the judgment to be served on the accused. The total judgment will run into 700 pages and over 70 copies have to be taken for distribution.

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