A new public prosecutor has been appointed in the lynching case of Madhu, a tribal person from Kerala’s Attappadi who was beaten to death four years ago. TNM has confirmed the appointment of Rajesh M Menon, a development that came after a request was made by the bereaved family of Madhu, to replace the special public prosecutor in the case, C Rajendran. A government order in this regard is awaited.
Rajendran resigned on June 25, citing personal reasons, after which Rajesh, who was additional public prosecutor, was appointed as public prosecutor. Malli, mother of Madhu, had submitted a petition to the Director-General of Prosecutions (DGP) seeking to remove Rajendran, after she feared that his conduct may cost them the case.
Madhu, a youth from the Chindakki tribal hamlet in Attappadi of Palakkad district was lynched on February 22, 2018. He was beaten by a group of people who alleged that he had stolen rice. The trial in the case began in April this year at the Special Court for SC/ST at Mannarkkad in Palakkad. Two other public prosecutors had resigned after the trial began in the case.
Malli and Sarasu, Madhu's sister, in separate interviews with TNM, said that they feared that they would lose the case as Rajendran's conduct of the case was not effective. Sarasu even alleged that she feared that the examining of witnesses by Rajendran would turn favourable for the accused. Malli and Sarasu had filed a petition at the Mannarkkad court seeking to remove Rajendran. But they had to approach the DGP as the court rejected the petition citing that it cannot remove a public prosecutor appointed by the government. The name of Rajesh Menon was suggested by the family.
Two witnesses have also turned hostile after the trial began. They are Unnikrishnan, the tenth witness, and Chandran, the eleventh witness.
Watch Madhu's sister Sarasu interview with TNM.