Madhu lynching case: High Court acquits first accused, upholds conviction of other accused

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has acquitted Hussain, the first accused in the Attappadi mob lynching case, in which tribal youth Madhu was beaten to death after being accused of theft. The verdict came while considering appeals filed by the accused against their conviction, as well as appeals filed by the Kerala government and Madhu’s mother Malli seeking stricter punishment for the convicts. The High Court dismissed the appeals of the other accused. The prosecution has demanded an increase in the punishment awarded to the remaining convicts.

The other accused in the case are Marakkar, Shamsudheen, Aneesh, Radhakrishnan, Abubacker, Siddique, Ubaid, Najeeb, Jeyjuman, Abdul Karim, Sajeev, Satheesh, Harish, Biju, and Muneer. All of them appeared before the court.

The Mannarkkad Special Court had earlier sentenced them to seven years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine. The High Court had previously granted bail to Hussain after suspending his seven-year sentence. However, the court had rejected similar requests from the other convicts. The accused had appealed seeking cancellation of their sentences.

Madhu, a 34-year-old tribal man from Attappadi, was allegedly beaten to death after being accused of stealing rice. He was reportedly suffering from mental health issues. The incident took place on February 22, 2018. According to the prosecution, Madhu was captured from the forest, his hands were tied behind his back, and he was paraded along the road in a semi-naked condition. He was brutally assaulted throughout the journey and later died from the injuries.

The trial court had sentenced 13 accused to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and fines. The 16th accused, Muneer, was sentenced to three months in jail and fined Rs 500. He has already completed his sentence. The trial court had acquitted the fourth accused Aneesh and the 11th accused Abdul Karim, finding them not guilty.