About ten days after the state government of Tamil Nadu had acquitted the life term inmates who have been convicted of 1997 Melvalavu massacre of Dalits, the Madurai bench of Madras High court has directed the government to disclose the documents as its justification for the release of the prisoners who had killed six Dalit Panchayat officials.

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.

While hearing the petition tabled in Madras High court Madurai bench against the release of the life term inmates, the Justices Vaidhyanathan and Anand Venkatesh had condemned the approval of the Tamil Nadu government in releasing the inmates sentenced with life imprisonment by the Supreme court. 

In its order, the high court bench had directed the officials involved behind the release to appear before the bench on November 19th and 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 filled with political motive.

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 in 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.