The Cuddalore First Additional District Sessions Court recently delivered a significant verdict, sentencing nine individuals to life imprisonment for a murder committed in 2020. This case originated from a heated rivalry in Pallipattu, a tension that began to brew during the local body elections held in 2019.
Prosecutors detailed that on April 14, 2020, a gang brutally murdered Kamalakannan in Pallipattu. The motive behind this crime was a simmering feud that stemmed directly from the previous year’s local body polls. Kamalakannan, along with his brother Janarthanan, had actively campaigned for Ramachandiran, a candidate for the president’s position of the Pallipattu panchayat. Ramachandiran ultimately emerged victorious, defeating his rival, Ravi, from the same locality. This electoral outcome unfortunately ignited a deep-seated personal animosity between the two factions, which tragically escalated into murder.
Following the incident, law enforcement officials initiated a thorough investigation, eventually leading to the arrest of ten individuals connected to Kamalakannan’s killing. During the subsequent trial, one of the accused passed away.
Ultimately, Additional District Sessions Court Judge G. Saraswathi handed down life sentences to the nine convicted persons: Kumar (48), Venkatesan (32), Maniarasan (29), Krishnaraj (52), Silambarasan (28), Vinoth (28), Bharathidasan (28), Aravind (30), and Bharatraj (30), all residents of Pallipattu.