Seven sentenced to death over Vidya murder

The three-member judge bench hearing the case filed over the abduction, gang rape and murder of schoolgirl Sivaloganathan Vidya today gave the death penalty to the 7 suspects including the chief suspect in the case ‘Swiss Kumar’.   

Delivering the much anticipated verdict after the widely publicised trial came to an end today (27), the Jaffna High Court sentenced the 7 suspects to death and also ordered them to pay Rs 1 million as compensation to the victim’s family.

In addition to the death penalty, the suspects were also sentenced to a further 30 years in prison.

The verdict consisting of 332 pages was read out by High Court Judge Balendran Shashi Mahendran.

Sivaloganathan Vidya, an 18-year-old schoolgirl from Punkudutivu, was abducted, gang-raped and murdered in Jaffna, whilst returning home from school on May 13, 2015. 

The incident sparked wide-spread condemnation and protests especially in her hometown of Jaffna while 9 suspects were arrested and indicted over the murder. 

The nine suspects were indicted on 41 counts including the abduction,gang rape, murder and being members of an unlawful assembly. 

The Chief Justice appointed a three judge panel to take up the case for consideration at the request of Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya.

The case was taken up for hearing at the Jaffna High Court on the 28th of June 2017. The High Court at Bar was headed by High Court Judge Balendran Shashi Mahendran. 

The other High Court judges were Anthalingam Premashankar and Manikyawasagar Ilancheliyan.

The chief suspect of the murder case, Swiss Kumar, had been captured by local residents and tied to an electricity transmission tower, whereupon he had been released without being handed over to the Police.

A case pertaining to that incident is being heard at the Kayts Magistrate Court.