Sri Lanka: Gang Rapists Sentenced to Death

The 3-member bench sentenced 7 suspects to death over the murder of 18-year-old schoolgirl Shivaloganathan Vidya in Punkudithivu, Kaytes in Jaffna

( September 27, 2017, Jaffna, Sri Lanka Guardian) The 3-member bench sentenced 7 suspects to death over the murder of 18-year-old schoolgirl Shivaloganathan Vidya in Punkudithivu, Kaytes in Jaffna.

There were 9 suspects in this case and 2 of them were released by the bench.

The bench included Vavuniya High Court Judge Balendran Sashi Mahendran, Jaffna High Court Judge Ilancheliyan Manickavasagar and Trincomalee High Court Judge Annalingam Premashankar.

The verdict was delivered by High Court Judge Balendran Sashi Mahendran and, Jaffna High Court Judge Manickavasagar Ilancheliyan.

The second suspect Poobalasingham Jeyakumar, 3rd suspect Poobalasingham Thavakumar, 4th suspect Mahalingam Shashidaran, 5th suspect Thillenathan Chandrahasan, 6th suspect Sivadevan Dushanth alias Periyammbi, 8th suspect Jeyadaran Kokilan and 9th suspect Mahalingam Sashikumar alias Swiss Kumar were sentenced to death.

According to the local media reports, the 1st suspect and 7th suspect were released.

The convicts were also given a 30-year rigorous imprisonment.

They were also ordered to pay fines between Rs. 40,000 to 75,000.

The judges also ordered the 7 accused to pay compensation of Rs. 1 million each to Vidya’s family.

This is the first occasion that a verdict was delivered after hearing a case outside Colombo by a bench of High Court judges.

On 13th of May, 2015, Shivaloganathan Vidya had been abducted, gang-raped and then killed by the accused.

Thereafter, the authorities appointed a 3-member bench to hear the case and proceedings started on 12th of June this year at the Jaffna High Court.

The judges ruled that the murder was well-planned.