New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the convictions in the infamous ‘Kannagi-Murugesan’ honour killing case from Tamil Nadu, dismissing appeals filed by nine convicts and two policemen challenging the Madras High Court’s 2022 judgment.
A bench comprising Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice P.K. Mishra confirmed the life sentences awarded to the convicts, including Kannagi’s father and brother, and dismissed the appeals of two police officers convicted for fabricating evidence during the investigation.
The case involved the brutal murder of an inter-caste couple, S. Murugesan and D. Kannagi. Murugesan, a Dalit and chemical engineering graduate, and Kannagi, a commerce graduate from the Vanniyar community, had secretly married on May 5, 2003. Upon discovering the marriage, Kannagi’s family apprehended the couple on July 7, 2003, forced them to drink poison, and subsequently burned their bodies.
Recognised as one of the first honour killing cases in Tamil Nadu, the matter was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after the local police conducted a flawed probe.
In 2021, the trial court sentenced Marudupandian, Kannagi’s brother, to death and awarded life imprisonment to 12 others, including her father. In 2022, the Madras High Court commuted Marudupandian’s death penalty to life imprisonment and confirmed the life sentences of nine others, while acquitting two individuals.
The Supreme Court today not only upheld the High Court’s findings but also directed the State to pay Rs 5 lakh compensation jointly to the father and stepmother of Murugesan.
Delivering a strong message against caste-based violence, the Court observed, “At the root of this crime is the deeply entrenched hierarchical caste system in India, and ironically, this most dishonorable act goes by the name of honour-killing.”
It further added, “A crime is an act against the State. But a wicked and odious crime, as the one we have just dealt with, is the ugly reality of our deeply entrenched caste structure. Honour-killing, as these are called, must get a strong measure of punishment.”
Senior Advocates Siddharth Agarwal and Gopal Sankaranarayanan appeared for the appellants, while Additional Solicitor General Vikramjit Banerjee represented the CBI. Advocate Rahul Shyam Bhandari appeared for the parents of Murugesan.
