Trimurthulu, who is also the YSRCP candidate from Mandapeta Assembly seat in Konaseema district in the elections to be held next month, after setting up the Eleventh Additional District and Sessions Court-cum-Special Court to hear cases under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Contacted the District Court. ) Act delivered its verdict in the sensational 1996 case.
The ruling party leader said he would challenge the special court's decision in the high court.
The special court imposed a fine of Rs 2.5 lakh on the main accused Trimurthulu. Others were fined Rs 20,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh.The court also ordered compensation of Rs 1.20 lakh to Koti Chinna Raju and Dandala Venkata Ratnam, who were tonsured by Trimurthulu and others.
The case created a sensation in 1996 and the victims and their families have been waiting for justice for more than two and a half decades.
On December 29, 1996, Trimurthulu, the then independent MLA from Ramachandrapuram, had tonsured two Dalit youths, Koti Chinna Raju and Dandala Venkata Rathna, and thrashed three others, Challapaudi Pattabhiramayya, Kanikela Ganapathy, Puvvala Venkata Ramanna of Venkatayapalem in East Godavari district. Was. Ha opposed him in the assembly elections.
The Dalit youth had worked for the polling agents of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).A case was registered at Draksharama police station in East Godavari district in 1997 on the complaint of both the victims.
Trimurthulu was later elected MLA on TDP ticket in 1999 and 2014. H later joined YSR Congress.
The victims welcomed the court order, saying that justice was finally served after 28 years. The reaction from Dalit groups and public organizations was mixed, with some of them saying that the punishment given to the culprits was not commensurate with the nature of the crime they had committed.Victims' lawyer Jahan Ara said the punishment given was disappointing.
Dalit groups and human rights organizations had started protests after the incident which took place in Venkatayapalem village in the united East Godavari district.
Trimurthulu was arrested along with other accused and jailed for 87 days. The then TDP government had also constituted the Justice Puttaswamy Commission to investigate the incident.
Based on its report, a government order (GO) was issued, giving a clean chit to Trimurthulu.The victims had challenged that order in the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which had passed orders to interrogate Trimurthulu.
Re-investigation of the case was started in 2008.
Senior lawyer and activist Bojja Tarakam had filed a petition in the High Court in 2015. The High Court had directed the government to thoroughly investigate the case and provide justice to the victims.
On instructions from the High Court, the special court in Visakhapatnam initiated the trial in 2017. The case took another turn when the authorities refused to issue caste certificates to the victims, claiming that they were Christians and not Dalits.Following protests by Dalit and civil liberties groups and a Supreme Court directive, caste certificates were issued to them in June 2019.
The case was adjourned 143 times.
There were 24 witnesses in the case and 11 of them died due to old age or ill health. Puvvala Venkata Ramana died among the victims.
Following the court order, police also increased security at Venkatayapalem and Draksharamam, which is now near Dr. B.R. Are in.Ambedkar Konaseema District.
The ruling party leader said he would challenge the special court's decision in the high court.
The special court imposed a fine of Rs 2.5 lakh on the main accused Trimurthulu. Others were fined Rs 20,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh.The court also ordered compensation of Rs 1.20 lakh to Koti Chinna Raju and Dandala Venkata Ratnam, who were tonsured by Trimurthulu and others.
The case created a sensation in 1996 and the victims and their families have been waiting for justice for more than two and a half decades.
On December 29, 1996, Trimurthulu, the then independent MLA from Ramachandrapuram, had tonsured two Dalit youths, Koti Chinna Raju and Dandala Venkata Rathna, and thrashed three others, Challapaudi Pattabhiramayya, Kanikela Ganapathy, Puvvala Venkata Ramanna of Venkatayapalem in East Godavari district. Was. Ha opposed him in the assembly elections.
The Dalit youth had worked for the polling agents of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).A case was registered at Draksharama police station in East Godavari district in 1997 on the complaint of both the victims.
Trimurthulu was later elected MLA on TDP ticket in 1999 and 2014. H later joined YSR Congress.
The victims welcomed the court order, saying that justice was finally served after 28 years. The reaction from Dalit groups and public organizations was mixed, with some of them saying that the punishment given to the culprits was not commensurate with the nature of the crime they had committed.Victims' lawyer Jahan Ara said the punishment given was disappointing.
Dalit groups and human rights organizations had started protests after the incident which took place in Venkatayapalem village in the united East Godavari district.
Trimurthulu was arrested along with other accused and jailed for 87 days. The then TDP government had also constituted the Justice Puttaswamy Commission to investigate the incident.
Based on its report, a government order (GO) was issued, giving a clean chit to Trimurthulu.The victims had challenged that order in the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which had passed orders to interrogate Trimurthulu.
Re-investigation of the case was started in 2008.
Senior lawyer and activist Bojja Tarakam had filed a petition in the High Court in 2015. The High Court had directed the government to thoroughly investigate the case and provide justice to the victims.
On instructions from the High Court, the special court in Visakhapatnam initiated the trial in 2017. The case took another turn when the authorities refused to issue caste certificates to the victims, claiming that they were Christians and not Dalits.Following protests by Dalit and civil liberties groups and a Supreme Court directive, caste certificates were issued to them in June 2019.
The case was adjourned 143 times.
There were 24 witnesses in the case and 11 of them died due to old age or ill health. Puvvala Venkata Ramana died among the victims.
Following the court order, police also increased security at Venkatayapalem and Draksharamam, which is now near Dr. B.R. Are in.Ambedkar Konaseema District.
