Hours after the Madras High court has acquitted Chinnaswamy from the imprisonment and death sentence in connection to the Shankar caste killing case, Kausalya, Chinnaswamy's daughter and Shankar's wife, said she will fight for justice till her parents get convicted in the case.

While addressing the reporters on the verdict, Kausalya said she was disappointed with the verdict pronounced by the Madras High court and asserted that she would move to the Supreme court to challenge the High court's verdict. She asked "If Chinnaswamy (her father) and Annalaskhmi (her mother) weren't guilty, Shankar would have been alive, he would have been with me now. However, he is not alive now, and how they couldn't have been guilty?

She further stated that the prosecution was in touch with her when the trial was in the Tiruppur sessions court and when the trail has gone to the Madras High court, she wasn't informed about the proceedings. Kausalya adds "I haven't lost trust in the courts. We will appeal to the Supreme court. We won't stop until justice is served. I'll continue my legal fight until Shankar gets justice and until my parents get punished". 

In a sudden development, the Madras High Court bench comprised of Justices Sathyanarayan and Nirmal Kumar had acquitted Chinnasamy - Kausalya's father and Accused No 1 in Shankar's murder case. Chinnasamy was earlier convicted with ten years of imprisonment and the death penalty by the district court in the case of murdering Shankar, a Dalit man, for marrying Kausalya, who belongs to Thevar community, in what was etched as one of the caste-based honor killings in the state.

The caste killing has happened on March 13, 2016, in Udumalpet, Tiruppur district, where Shankar and Kausalya were attacked by a mob at a public place. The mob, that was armed with weapons, reportedly attacked Shankar and killed him on the road while Kausalya was left with severe injuries. The incident that was captured in the surveillance camera had sparked huge shockwaves and outrage in Tamil Nadu, demanding justice for the couple who was separated for doing inter-caste marriage.

Following the probe, the Tiruppur sessions court had awarded Chinnasamy and five others with the death penalty in December 2017 while it has acquitted Kausalya's mother Annalakshmi and two others from the case. Chinnasamy was said to be the mastermind in the crime of killing Shankar who was his son-in-law and he was added as Accused No 1 in the case.

However, after the death sentence, the accused had moved their petitions to the Madras High Court challenging the verdict of the lower court. The High Court bench has delivered the verdict on Monday - June 22nd, 2020 in which it had acquitted Accused No 1 Chinnasamy from the case and the death penalty and it also has commuted the death sentence of five others to the life imprisonment of 25 years each. 

While Kausalya's mother welcomed the verdict, Kausalya had expressed her disappointment over the verdict of acquitting her father from the case. She said, "I have never expected this verdict, I never thought he would be acquitted, I'll continue my fight for justice". According to the reports, the counsel of the Tamil Nadu government said that the government would be moving its petition of appeal to the Supreme Court challenging the verdict of the Madras High court.

Must read: Shankar honor killing case: Madras HC acquits Kausalya's father from the death penalty!