Dharmapuri: A special court will pronounce on Thursday the much-awaited judgement in the 1992 Vachathi case relating to alleged brutal assault of tribal people and rape of several women by forest, police and revenue officials during a search for smuggled sandalwood.
The court was slated to pronounce the judgement on September 26 in the case investigated by the CBI but adjourned it following the absence of three of the 215 accused.
Posting the case to September 29, Special judge-cum Principal District and Sessions Judge S Kumaraguru had issued arrest warrants against the three accused but recalled it after they appeared on Wednesday.
Originally a total of 269 persons were cited as accused but 54 of them died during pendency of the case.
According to CBI, on June 20, 1992 a team comprising 155 forest personnel, 108 policemen and six revenue officials entered Vachathi in neighbouring Krishnagiri district for a search for smuggled sandalwood.
On the pretext of inquiry, they allegedly assaulted about 100 villagers, detained women and children and raped 18 of them besides ransacking their properties.
Charges including rape, rioting, voluntarily causing hurt under various IPC sections besides under SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act had been filed against the accused.
Soon after the incident, a fact-finding committee, led by Tamil Nadu Tribal People Association President P Shanmugam, found 18 women were raped and 64 women and 15 men beaten up by the officials.
The Supreme Court had ordered a CBI probe into the incident on a petition by Shanmugam after his plea before the Madras High Court was rejected.
The CBI took over the case in 1995 and its team led by then DSP Jaganathan filed chargesheet against 269 personnel before the CBI Court in Coimbatore a year later.
In 2002, the Madras High Court ordered the setting up of the special court to conduct the trial. Police said strict vigil would be maintained in the court premises to prevent untoward incidents.
Comments
0 comment