Manjunath's father relieved, compares judge with god

India
Manjunath's father relieved, compares judge with god
By IANS, Mar 26, 2007 - 10:10:42 PM

Bangalore, March 26 - An anxious wait for the Shanmugam family of slain Indian Oil officer S. Manjunath Monday turned into a great relief when the news trickled from Uttar Pradesh that the main accused in the murder was sentenced to death.

'It has been a long and anxious day for us waiting to know the quantum of sentence. We are relieved to learn at least the main accused has been given death sentence and the other accused are condemned to jail for life,' Manjunath's father M. Shanmugam told IANS on phone from Kolar Gold Fields -, about 100 km from here.

'In fact, two more of the accused, who were also involved in the gruesome act directly, should have been given capital punishment,' he added.

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management -, Lucknow, Manjunath was killed Nov 19, 2005 after he refused to turn a blind eye to the rampant petrol adulteration and under-weighing racket known to be thriving because of an unholy nexus between petrol pump owners and unscrupulous IOC officials.

Expressing satisfaction at the pace the case was taken up with and justice delivered, Shanmugam said his family likened Lakimpur Kheri District Judge S.M.A. Abidi to god for conducting a fair trial, finding the accused guilty and convicting them on merit.

'Justice Abidi is like god for us. He has done a great justice to my brave son Manju. Though all the accused deserved death for the heinous crime, he ensured the main killer - did not escape capital punishment. It is a great relief the case was handled in a record time and the judgment delivered soon after conviction,' Shanmugam said.

Lauding Manju's friends, especially his friends from the Indian Institute of Management -, Lucknow, the district police, public prosecutor and the company's counsel - for their moral and financial support in fighting the case, Shanmugam said his family was ready to fight the accused in the high court or even in the Supreme Court.

'Soon after the sentence was announced, we heard the news on TV that Pawan would appeal the sentence in the high court. The way the case was handled so far has given us strength and resolve to ensure the killers were brought to justice.

'We will fight it out till the last to ensure Manju's soul rests in peace,' said Shanmugam, an employee of the state-owned Bharat Earth Movers Ltd - at KGF.

Giving full credit to the Manjunath Memorial Trust, set up by his lifelong friends, batchmates and well wishers, Shanmugam hoped the sacrifice his son made and the judgment in his murder case would ensure honesty, integrity and fight against corruption carried on as a crusade to cleanse the system and the country from such evils.

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