Madhu lynching case: SC/ST court postpones verdict to Tuesday

PALAKKAD: The final verdict on the Attapadi tribal youth Madhu lynching case scheduled for Thursday has been postponed to April 4, 2023, by the Mannarkkkad Special Court for SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Court.
The judgment comes after five years of the incident. Madhu, a mentally unsound tribal youth from Chindakki hamlet near Mukkali, was captured by a mob charging him with theft of some food items from a shop on February 22, 2018, and lynched.He was handed over to the police at Chindakki but died on the way to the hospital.
Special public prosecutor Rajesh M Menon said the prosecution expects stern punishment against the accused and hopes that Madhu's family gets justice. Madhu's mother and sister also said they have faith in the judiciary and believe the family will get justice.
The trial was completed on March 28, 2022, and the prosecution's biggest challenge was that a large number of witnesses turned hostile during trial. After implementing the witness protection rule, incidents of witnesses turning hostile came down.
The prosecution had presented 127 witnesses and the defence side had six witnesses. Out of 127 prosecution witnesses, 24 turned hostile during trial, and another 24 were exempted from trial.