Kachanatham caste murders: Madras High Court upholds life sentences for 26, acquits one

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has upheld the life sentences imposed on 26 convicts involved in the murder of three Scheduled Caste men at Kachanatham in Sivaganga district in 2018. The court acquitted one person.

In 2022, the Special Court for Exclusive Trial of Cases under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Sivaganga imposed life sentences on 27 persons belonging to a dominant, intermediate caste in the case. On Thursday (February 26, 2026), the Division Bench of Justices G.K. Ilanthiraiyan and R. Poornima of the High Court confirmed the life sentences imposed by the trial court on 26 convicts, while acquitting one person, Ilayaraja. The High court was hearing appeals filed by the accused.

What is the case about?

On May 28, 2018, a group of persons belonging to the dominant, intermediate caste attacked Scheduled Caste villagers with deadly weapons. The assailants were enraged that the members of the Scheduled Caste had failed to present them with temple honours and were sitting cross-legged in their presence.

K. Arumugam, A. Shanmuganathan, and V. Chandrasekhar were hacked to death and Dhanasekaran, who sustained injuries, died of health complications a year later.

A total of 33 persons, including four juveniles, from the dominant, intermediate community were named as accused in the case.