In a significant verdict handed down on Friday, the Madras High Court upheld the convictions and sentencing of 215 individuals, a group that included both Forest and Police personnel. These convictions were related to the horrific incidents of atrocities committed against tribals and sexual assaults on women during a raid aimed at capturing sandalwood smuggler Veerappan in the quiet village of Vachathi in Tamil Nadu.
The High Court firmly dismissed the appeals that had been filed in opposition to the lower court’s judgment in Dharmapuri, which had previously found all 215 men guilty. The sentences meted out by the lower court ranged from 1 to 10 years behind bars.
Justice P Velmurugan, who presided over the case, also took a decisive step by ordering an immediate compensation of Rs 10 lakh to be given to 18 women who had been victims of sexual assault during the shocking events that unfolded in Dharmapuri, an incident that had sent shockwaves throughout the state. The court further decreed that Rs five lakh of this compensation be recovered from those who had been accused of rape, according to statements made by counsel representing the victims.
The Dharmapuri court, in its earlier ruling, had found 126 individuals from the forest department, including four Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers, 84 police officers, and five from the revenue department culpable in connection with the 1992 case, which was subsequently investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
It is worth noting that among the total of 269 accused individuals, 54 had unfortunately passed away during the course of the trial, adding a solemn dimension to the proceedings.
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