Days after the state government of Tamil Nadu has acquitted 13 life term inmates who were imprisoned for murdering six Dalit men in 1997, the Madurai bench of Madras High court had, on Wednesday, went skeptical on the release despite the order of the government has been submitted in the judicial bench by the Additional Public Prosecutor.

The bench had demanded the government to disclose the basis under which the life term convicts were granted amnesty. In its directive, the Madurai bench comprising of Justices Vaidyanathan and Anand Venkatesh observed that the government should table the status report to the court before passing the resolution to release the life-term inmates. By condemning the release, the high court underlined the seriousness of the crime where the convicts had allegedly murdered six Dalit men and lynched the entire Dalit community in Melavalavu in Madurai district for standing in Panchayat elections and the court further cited that the massacre was committed to barricade the Dalits and scheduled caste people from contesting in elections.

After adding the convicts as respondents, the court demanded the government on whether the petitioner of the Melavalavu case has been reached out for the consent of acquitting 13 inmates. It has been reported that the state government has released a total of 13 Hindu men from the state prisons on November 9th as a part of the MGR centenary celebrations. These men belong to the predominant Thevar community in Madurai and their life term imprisonment was allegedly overruled by the state government which approved the release by obtaining consent from the state Governor.

In 1997, about 44 Hindu men were accused in the case and out of 44, 17 accused were awarded the life imprisonment for allegedly killing six Dalit panchayat officials by a trial court and the judgment was confirmed in the Madras High court and the Supreme court in 2009. Of these 17 convicts, one had died and three were acquitted during Anna centenary celebrations in 2008 by the then ruling DMK government while the current ruling ADMK government has ordered to release the rest of the inmates as a part of MGR centenary celebrations.

On the other hand, the family members of the victims have approached Home Secretary and Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu and tabled their petition to demand the government to take back the approval of acquitting the prisoners where some of the family members had accused the move of government which is filled with a political motive.