INDIA: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER

Additional Sessions Judge S. Soman (Fast Track Court-I) sentenced to death a 39-year-old man named Raju, alias Monkuttan, after finding him guilty of the murder of a scooter rider, Sunil Kumar, alias Podiyappan, near All Saints College junction in India on February 2, 2001. Another accused in the case was sentenced to life imprisonment and one other was acquitted. Monkuttan is accused in over 25 cases. The prosecution case was that Monkuttan as well as Kochaniyan (alias Kochani), Vinu (alias Gabri Vinu) and Ramesh Babu (alias Kannan), waylaid Podiyappan and killed him in retaliation for challenging one of their gang members at a temple festival at Pettah the previous day.